Allen Mooneyhan
Socio-Culture
Foundations of Education
School
Purpose
Facilitating
Literacy in Technology
Dr.
Mitch Holifield
Arkansas
State University
March
22, 2001
One
of the purposes cited for American schools is that of facilitating student
literacy in technology. Today's
society is characterized by advances in technology that affect the way people
live, work, and operate in their daily lives.
It is obvious that educators need to be concerned about the preparedness
of students regarding technology literacy.
This paper will provide some of the modern technological advances that
students need to become proficient in that are utilized by our society.
It will also outline some techniques and benefits for teaching technology
in American schools.
According to Enghagen (1997) desktop computers have created simulation
and new tools that faculty can introduce to students in the classroom and
incorporate into their teaching. She
continues by indicating that tools that can provide a new and different exposure
to material for students are spreadsheets, word processors, drawing tools, and
statistical applications. The use
of each of these tools by students must be proceeded by adequate instruction in
order for the student to use them effectively.
Gathercoal (1999) examines the effects of including a technology literacy
component for students. He lists
several tools necessary for the effective functioning of students in education
today. The list includes email,
word processors, the World Wide Web, computer basics, web publishing, using
excel, and digitizing graphics. As
previously indicated, one must be introduced to these tools and develop a
proficiency at using them in order to make the most effective use of them in the
educational setting.
A vast array of benefits can be found in recent literature for using
technology today. In order for
students to function most effectively with regard to the use of technology, they
must be taught about these tools and should practice using them in order to
become users of the technology. According
to Norman (2000), schools use email, instant messaging technology, and the World
Wide Web to provide students with valuable information.
This allows students to be kept up to date concerning activities related
to their campuses. The National Academy of Sciences (1999) supports this by
stating that computer-capable people have access to much of the world's digital
information and the means to process it, and states that technology gives
students access "to an array of educational resources that were not
previously accessible to them." When
students learn to use and evaluate technologies, it can enhance both their
living and learning environments (Gathercoal, 1999).
Enghagen (1997) cited vice-president Al Gore as stating that the
prospects of computers in the classrooms and information technology is a way to
enhance the productivity of education. He
also indicated that technology resources can "enhance coursework and
improve student learning, transforming student and faculty roles through the
individualization of teaching."
Another perspective to looking at the benefits of teaching technology to
students is that of preparing them for today's workforce.
Butts (1975) indicates that one of the purposes in American education is
to facilitate vocational competence. In
order to function adequately in many of the jobs comprising today's workforce,
one must understand today's technologies and be able to use them efficiently.
This is supported by the National Academy of Sciences (1999) in their
statement: "In today's workplace, information technology is increasingly
common" and continued by suggesting that few job classifications require no
knowledge of information technology.
One of the challenges that is faced in American education in regard to
technology is the question: "How should technology be taught in our
schools?" Students have been
using technology for quite some time. The
use of technology has actually been required in many classes through assignments
such as typed papers and acquiring materials through research on the web.
Historically, in the absence of a formal course in the use of
technologies, students have had to learn to use them on their own or have
utilized a resource center on campus to obtain enough instruction to begin
learning a specific software program. This
information supports the claim that there is a need for courses that will teach
technology to enable students to use it comfortably in accomplishing their
schoolwork. According to Gathercoal (1999), there are benefits to having
a technology literacy component early in the student's education.
He also suggests that technology literacy can be effectively taught in a
computer lab and should include topics such as email, word processing, the use
of the World Wide Web, computer basics, and the use of Excel.
Another aspect of teaching technology to students is that they may begin
to understand that there are new ways to look at the world around them.
This attitude could benefit them in terms of increasing their ability to
think critically and solve problems on their own.
In support of this, the National Academy of Sciences (1999) purposes that
"computers can be a means for educators to support the development of new
ways of thinking and learning."
The use of technology in American education is widespread and will
probably continue to grow. Institutions
will capitalize on the potential technology brings to their campuses in terms of
increased productivity and a greater ability to provide services to an ever
increasing number of students. Enghagen
(1997) stated "whether our personal preferences, technology and the 21st
century are quickly converging on higher education in the United States."
This suggests that those who do not embrace the use of technology in
education may be left behind those who do in terms of the ability to compete in
education. This is dramatized in a
quote by an unknown author Enghagen (1997) provided:
"The pace of innovation in academe is perhaps best measured by the
25 years it took to get overhead projectors out of the bowling alley and into
the classroom."
The increase in the use of technology in education has lead some teachers
to seek training in technology. Teachers
are under pressure to acquire skills in instructional technology (Abdal-Hagg,
1995). Teachers must take the
initiative in learning technologies that are to be used in classroom instruction
as well as that which will be utilized by students in the completion of their
assignments. According to Corl
(1996), teachers who are trained in technology can help alleviate students'
fears regarding technology. Finally,
the success of technology in American education depends upon the people who work
in those institutions as well as the resources that are provided.
This was well stated by Gathercoal (1999) with his comment:
"The effectiveness of information technology requires a constant and
continuing investment of human, financial, and technological resources."
Technology will have to be learned by the students in American education.
Furthermore, those educational institutions are, quite likely, the most
effective place for students to learn technology.
Therefore, it is essential that schools rise to the task of fulfilling
this need. In embracing the
teaching of technology, institutions will be helping not only their students but
also themselves in terms of productivity and efficiency of operations.
References
Abdal-Hagg,
I. (1995). Infusing Technology into Preservice Teacher Education. Eric
Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education,
Washington, DC. (ERIC
Document Reproduction Service No. ED 389 699).
Butts,
R. F. (1975). The Search for
Purpose in American Education. College Entrance
Examination Board, New York, NY. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No.
ED
126 601).
Corl,
S. F. (1996). Novices on the Net:
An Introduction to Education Class E-Mail and
Internet. Annual Conference of the National Council for Occupational
Education. St.
Louis, MO. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 402 998).
Enghagen,
L. K. (1997). Technology and Higher
Education. The NEA Professional
Library Higher Education Series. National Education Association,
Washington, DC.
(ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 421 916).
Gathercoal,
P. (1999). Technological Literacy and Its Effects on First-Year Liberal
Studies College Students. Annual Meeting of the American Education
Research
Association, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (ERIC Document Reproduction
Service No.
ED 442 458).
National
Academy of Sciences. (1999). Being
Fluent with Information Technology.
National Academy of Sciences - National Research Council, Washington, DC.
(ERIC
Document Reproduction Service No. ED 440 625).
Norman,
M. (2000). Technology Moving Toward the Heart of Higher Education.
Converge. Folsom, CA. March.