Too Much of a Good Thing?

Is there such a thing as technology overkill? That's what author Patrick Welsh dives into in his article "A School That's Too High On Gizmos," (2008).

Welsh introduces us to T.C. William High School, one of the most expensive high schools built on record, and its technology-gone-rampant approach to education. This is the kind of high school where every student has a laptop, teachers carry electronic devices that highlight or underline PowerPoint presentations from anywhere in the room (at $500 a pop), and the administration mandates all day teacher technology training sessions.

The point Welsh illustrates, however, is that this may just be too much technology. Students get distracted and play online games during instruction, face-to-face interactions are lowered as students and teachers connect via the Internet, and teachers feel pressured to conform to the style of technology heavy instruction promoted by the administration.

Instead of striking the right balance between technology and other methods of instruction, T.C. Williams High is an example, according to Welsh, of technology pushed to the limit. And it is upsetting parents, teachers, and students, who feel disconnected and coerced into making their lessons fit to the techno-ideal.

As a teacher-candidate, I have the privilege of stepping into many different classrooms. One thing I've learned is that every teacher has a different style and approach to education. I've witnessed classrooms run on white-board only instruction and others that integrate frequent clips from YouTube and group assignments using Google docs to share notes and resources. The variety of instruction is what makes school interesting. Learning to adapt to different methods of instructions helps students gain experience in changing their own learner-input modes. It's the ability to make professional decisions based on the needs of our students that adds value to the career of teaching.

That said, it's awesome that T.C. Williams High School embraces the idea of teaching with technology and makes these resources available to their teachers. Some teachers need to be "shaken up" a little, and they should be asked to learn or try out something new. The decision of what technological tools used to best deliver instruction is one that should ultimately be left up to the teacher.
 

Citation:

Welsh, P. (2008, February 10). A school that's too high on gizmos. Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/08/AR2008020803271.html