Feb 08 - Notes Chapter 3 Part 2

One of the reasons we need to integrate technology into our teaching and teach kids how to use the technology appropriately is the fact that technology permeates everything we do.

Tools – Technology is just a tool, no more important than any other tool we may use.
Example: A carpenter uses a hammer (tool) and the result is a house.
Example: A teacher uses many tools (marker, white board, paper, blocks etc.)
Example: A painter uses a paint brush, result is a picture. The brush is the medium

Most of what has changed about technology in the classroom is the where, what, who, when and how.

Technology integration cannot occur in a text based curriculum. Text based curriculum is “read the book, answer the questions”. Technology integration can occur in a project based curriculum.

One of the major misconceptions about computers is that when they were introduced, people thought they would revolutionize the educational world. Why hasn’t it happened?
- Not enough time
- Teachers don’t want to go out of their comfort zone
- Teacher training, not enough training to take you to the next steps after your degree
- Not enough money
- Parents don’t agree with new ways of learning ( it’s not how they learned it when they were students)

Information Technology: The application of a tool to solve a problem (related to information)

Tools extend human capability ***TEST QUESTION***

What is the most dramatic change in computing today?
- The amount of information
- There is more information in a Sunday New York Times than before the 17 hundreds (before the printing press). Human history was passed down through stories; most people couldn’t read or write. First book printed: The Bible.

What kinds of skills do learners need today?
- Problem solving
- How to search, evaluate, create, and collaborate/share.

Technology: is the deliberate ingenious effort to create select, adapt and apply tools to a task or problem at hand.