Gregory S. Brown’s article “The Coming of the French Revolution in Multi-Media” makes several great points. His application of technologies in teaching the French Revolution were very insightful, particularly as we move forward toward creating concepts for our own teaching history with technology projects. I had never thought to use music as a primary source, and thought that this was a brilliant idea until all the roadblocks of using such resources were considered. The intellectual property rights and other legal obstacles to using music as an interactive historical resource make Brown’s project largely infeasible for other scholars who look to make an impact in the classroom. The time considerations and monetary constraints combined with the fact that the effects of technology on learning are largely unknown make projects like Brown’s too risky a venture.
Although horribly obsolete, Earl F. Mulderink’s article “Enhancing the United States History Survey Course with New Technologies” was a wonderful addition to Brown. Because of its outdated content, the most lasting idea presented involved another negative aspect of tech projects. The lack of prestige garnered by scholastic achievements in the digital world is incredibly disconcerting. Mulderink highlights a generational time lag for some academic authorities who are late to adopt or approve of new teaching tactics. Hopefully, this is being resolved by the burgeoning field of the scholarship of teaching and learning that we examined last week. Nonetheless this is yet another obstacle to maximizing the positive impacts of technology in the classroom as there is little professional incentive for professors to push the envelope.
While I do not intend to sound like Sven Birkerts or Neil Postman, who were introduced in Professor Kelly’s article “For Better or Worse: The Marriage of the Web and Classroom,” I must confess that feel less and less confident about technology in the classroom. While an undergraduate student I always preferred high-tech learning sessions to monotonous lectures. As I have progressed in George Mason’s M.A. program I wonder whether or not those early preferences were based on better learning or better entertainment value. I still believe technology is an asset to teachers, but certainly could use some evidence so that these beliefs are not based on blind faith in the importance of human progress.
Hi Kevin:
You raise some very well-concieved concerns about the usage of technology in the classroom.
I guess it all depends on the framework of the classroom. I mean there are some courses that are intended to be fun, but usually those are more introductory-based, I would assume. I’m also thinking along the lines of what is differentiated from “fun learning” and just “plain old learing.” I think that the distinction can be made, but I have a hard time thinking for myself that the same results cannot be achieved through both styles of learning. And, where does the web fall into this? I don’t know, but I don’t believe that we should give up on using technology in the classroom just yet, that is until are students start to believe that David Hasselhoff destroyed communism.
See you on Tuesday,
Matt
Comment by Matthew Gravely — September 25, 2006 @ 4:00 pm
Your entry falls in line with some concerns I feel could occur with integrating technology in the classroom. I especially found your standpointon using technology as entertainment rather than a tool for learning interesting. Where is the line between engaging undergraduates in the classroom based on the course material vs. keeping students interested in coming to class? Integrating technology is a must in the classroom of today as technology is part of our daily lives, yet how can this be done without taking about from course content? We are lucky to be at a time when technology has already been tested in the classroom and now is the time to truly evaluate waht works and what does not.
Comment by Gretchen — September 26, 2006 @ 4:03 pm
Surely, technology can bring some entertainment value into the classroom. But I really believe that it can be used to teach and aid in a learning conversation. The problem is becoming that technology is growing by quantum leaps. It will become much harder, as you noted, for those established educators to grab hold of such a swift moving current. And, again, your concerns about the medium becoming one of sheer entertainment are also warranted.
Comment by paul — July 20, 2007 @ 3:53 pm