Curriculum integration, training seen as key to effective technology use |
On Board Online • October 12, 2015
By Paul Heiser
Senior Research Analyst
The $2 billion Smart Schools Bond Act passed by voters last year soon will give schools across the state needed enhancements in classroom technology and high-speed Internet connections.
But a recent international study - purportly the first of its kind - says technology isn't always an asset in the classroom. Researchers found that where information and communications technologies such as laptop computers and iPads have been used in the classroom, their impact on student performance has been mixed at best and detrimental at worst.
The report, "Students, Computers and Learning: Making the Connection," was conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which includes the U.S. and 33 other countries. Every three years the organization administers the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which measures the academic performance of 15-year-olds in member and non-member nations on math, science, and reading.
The report said schools that used classroom technology moderately had better student achievement than schools that used little or no technology. But, surprisingly, schools that used classroom technology a lot had poorer student performance than ones that had moderate or little technology use.
The reason, according to the report: building deep, conceptual understanding and higher-order thinking requires intensive student-teacher interactions, and technology sometimes distracts from this valuable human engagement.
Amy Perry-DelCorvo, the CEO and executive director of the New York State Association for Computers and Technologies in Education (NYSCATE), a non-profit professional organization representing more than 10,000 technology-using educators and administrators in New York State, sees the relationship between technology and student achievement differently.
"It is reasonable to expect technology to be a distraction at first, but becoming comfortable with the device is an important step prior to effective use," she told On Board. "The true power of technology comes in the ability to differentiate instruction and individualize learning experiences for each student, regardless of their learning style or disability."
The OECD report drew several other eye-popping conclusions. It found that PISA results show no appreciable improvements in student achievement in reading, math or science in countries that invested heavily in classroom technologies,compared with ones that had not.
For instance, only 42 percent of students in Korea and 38 percent of students in Shanghai-China reported that they use computers at school. Nonetheless, those two countries were among the top performers in the digital reading and computer-based math tests on the 2012 PISA. By contrast, in countries where students commonly use the Internet at school for schoolwork, students' performance on reading declined between 2000 and 2012, on average.
The study also found that classroom technology has done little to bridge the skills gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students. The study's authors concluded that ensuring students attain a minimum baseline level of proficiency in reading and math "seems to do more to create equal opportunities in a digital world than can be achieved by expanding or subsidizing access to high-tech devices and services."
Perry-DelCorvo, however, questions the accuracy of the OECD report, since the most recent administration of PISA was in 2012.
"As most schools incorporate some type of 1-to-1 program (one computer or device for every student), the dated data do not support the current state of technology integration accurately," she said. "As mobile devices are being assigned to students to take home, the opportunity for parents to learn alongside students is tremendous."
Sal DeAngelo, the chief technology officer in the Bethlehem school district, believes there are still several major impediments to realizing the full potential of instructional technology. These include high-quality ongoing professional development for teachers related to the proper use and management of technology in the classroom; appropriate use of and access to quality and relevant content; and the effective use of formative assessments.
Many districts, he said, have not moved from employing technology as an add-on resource to making it a fully-integrated part of the instructional curriculum. He said one obstacle is fiscal constraints. But more importantly, he said, there needs to be a more concerted effort to build teacher capacity to use technology, and that's where school boards can help.
"First, there needs to be a paradigm shift," he told On Board. "School leaders need to recognize the importance of integrating technology into instruction and identify it as a goal. Second, they must provide quality ongoing professional development for instructional staff."
DeAngelo said professional development often is provided on an ad hoc basis, rather than in a systematic way that enables teachers to develop a fundamental understanding of how to integrate technology into what and how they teach. He supports a turnkey approach in which schools can build internal capacity among instructional staff, who can teach each other how to integrate technology into the classroom and build relationships with building leaders.
Perry-DelCorvo added that quality professional development must include time for educators to learn the technology, what works and what doesn't.
"This is an ongoing process," she said. "I strongly suggest site visits to other districts that have incorporated similar types of technology." She said it's important to include discussions with the teachers as part of the agenda for such visits.
Perry-DelCorvo echoed DeAngelo's thoughts that school boards are essential in helping teachers integrate technology into instruction. She said schools need to plan for long-term systemic change. Building an environment that fosters innovation is a complete mind shift for most educators.
In the long run, though, technology integration strategies can enhance the learning exeriences of students, said Perry-DelCorvo. She pointed to emerging areas where teachers are teaching students how to code, develop game simulations, and test atmospheric changes using probes and sensors attached to mobile devices.
"In my experience, the most effective implementations are where student experience - not technology - drives the process," she said. "These types of activities involve math, science, engineering, art, and - in some cases - music, as well as collaboration, and intrinsic motivation that cannot be captured in words. It is equally challenging to capture the power of the term 'technology.'"