Technology in the Classroom - Questions From Yesteryear Persist Today
d Although the article Power Point, Technology and the Web: More Than Just an Overhead Projector for the New Century was written in 2003 and focused on technology that has since become nearly obsolete, many of the questions, issues and uses of technology discussed in the article are still viable today. The article was written by a college level history professor who was obviously an advocate for the use of technology in the classroom both by the professor and by the students. Although clearly an advocate of technology use in the classroom, DenBeste warned that the use of technology in the classroom must be purposeful, meaningful and useful for both the teacher and student. DenBeste warned that many types of classroom technology (specifically Power Point presentations) can be very time consuming to employ. He also discussed the issue of student access to technology and explained that many students did not have personal computers or access to Internet in order to easily use them for their own education. He also discussed the lack of familiarity with computers among some students in order to effectively use them for their education and expressed concerns about content area teachers being responsible for teaching how to use technology rather than their content areas. This issue is certainly still relevant today.
After discussing the pitfalls of technology use in the classroom, DenBeste went on to explain some of the benefits. Being a history teacher, he was especially enamored with the use of online resources providing students with primary sources of information. He was very careful to explain that students had to be shown how to evaluate the accuracy and validity of these online resources. DenBeste went on to describe how Power Point could be used both by the teacher and students as a means to present information. Finally, discussion boards were discussed as a means for collaboration and discussion among students. DenBeste explained that these discussion boards allow students who were typically shy an unwilling to participate in in-class discussions a means to express themselves and contribute to class discussions without the discomfort of speaking in front of their peers. He explained that these discussion boards provide a sense of community and interconnectedness among class members.
As I read this fourteen year-old article, I was shocked with how little the issues concerning technology use in the classroom have changed. Power Point, a new program at the time, is still commonly used (along with programs like Google Slides and Prezi) and has changed very little. Although there are several new programs and devices, it seems to me that the underlying questions of how and why the technology is being used in the classroom are still extremely important and should be considered before implementation in our classrooms. It seems that sometimes the pressure to use technology in the classroom results in meaningless tech use that doesn't result in improved student learning. I was also intrigued with the concern that DenBeste expressed with having inequity among students in regards to access to technology. Although this issue has less of an impact today than it did in 2003, the difference in access to technology from school to school and student to student is still struggled with today. The familiarity with technology is also something that was mentioned in this article and is still pertinent today as well. An issue that is rarely discussed in this area is who does it fall on to provide our students with direct instruction on how to use technology such as programs and devices? It seems that although the use of technology is becoming much more commonplace in education today, careful thought and planning to make technology use in the classroom meaningful and purposeful is still as important today as it was in the past.
DenBeste, M. (2003). Power Point, Technology and the Web: More Than Just an Overhead Projector for the New
Century?. History Teacher, 36(4), 491-504.
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