We were given two chapters from Seymour Papert's book The Connected Family: Bridging the Digital Generation Gap. During the second chapter on "Technology", Papert addresses the following key points:
1. The cybertopian vs. the cybercritic - those that "praise the wonders of the digital age" vs. those that "warn of dire dangers". Where ever you lye in this debate, Papert moves on, addressing how each of these views effect learning... that the next generation must "learn to think in better ways than those who brought the troubles (troubled world) about". Yet, with the exciting potential Papert sees for revolutionizing learning, he continues to criticize how schools are integrating technology:
"What is actually being done there is a sheer travesty of what could be done with technology"
"...I do know that (digital technology) could make a dramatic difference for the better or for the worse in the lives of children, and that there is no guarantee that it will be for the good. Quite the contrary, if one goes by what one sees happening today, it is almost guarenteed that the technology will be used mindlessly or for the profit of corporations rather than for the benefit of children".
...using technology is "limited only by your imagination and the effort you are willing to make". - important for teachers to realize... I find that some teachers tend to be very creative in other aspects of their curriculum, but fail to apply that same creativity to utilizing technology.
2. He then discusses the cyperostrich and how to use the computer to generate powerful ideas rather than direct teaching. Again - are teachers applying technology to "the framework of the school system that they know" which only "strengthens a poor method of education that was invented only because there were no computers when school was designed"?
3. One of the most interesting and controversal topics he brings up is Technology Literacy versus Technology Fluency. In the past we could with confidence state what skills students needed for tomarrow's job market. Papert argues that computer literacy programs result in kids who are "profoundly illiterate in relation to what really matters about computers: that you can use them for your own purposes". When designing computer classes, Paper "tries not to choose skills that might be valuable for getting the jobs in some hypothetical future. I chose skills that will be valuable right now for getting the most out of living and learning in the present". His aim is technology fluency. "Fluency comes from use... And being fluent with computers doesn't mean that you know everything. In fact good evidence of your technological fluency would be what you do when you don't know how something works". So, do we teach Technology Literacy in schools or do we teach Technology Fluency? What works? Why?
4. He then goes on to Transparent and Opaque Technologies, believing that "children growing up today suffer seriously because of the opacity of the technologies around them". True?
5. Frustration is something I see daily with teachers - they believe that faster and better computers mean faster and easier use. "One way to alleviate frustration at slowness is to know why it happens and whether you can be mad at someone." Do teachers you work with get frustrated? How imporatant is teaching how a computers thinks? Teaching trouble-shooting?
6. In chapter seven, "School", Papert addresses the role he thinks parents must play in how technology is to be used in schools. He addresses two images of change: Microchange and Megachange. How schools have not undergone megachanged the way other parts of our society have - medicine, telecommunications, entertainment, transportation, etc.. Papert poses the question "Is school susceptible to megachange?" He believes that this time will be different and we will see change "because for the first time there are forces for change with real fire power". These forces are:
The learning revolution..."If any skill a child learns will be out of date before it is used, then what on earth would you have a child learn? The answer is obvious: The only competitive skill over the long haul is the skill of learning".
Child power..."Every child from a home that has a computer and a strong learning culture is an agent for change in school".
7. Papert then outlines five points as to how parents can influence schools - again the agruement of technology fluency vs. technology literacy is presented.
8. Finally, Papert sees a growing segment of families who choose homeschooling on the rise because of "dissatisfation with the learning culture found in schools".
I look forward to discussing Papert's ideas with the group - it has many connections to what we are seeing in schools today.
Elizabeth Drew
St. Andrew's School