|
This page will provide an overview of some of the academic literature dealing with technology and its effect on the language
arts classroom. Teachers will benefit from learning what has been discovered through the research, and what standpoint(s)
are currently held by experts in the field.
The growing trend of our society into a technological age has caused many to develop questions and seek answers. Do technological
advancements and the growth of the Internet have the power to enhance education, or do these advancements mark the beginning
of the fall of literacy? An ongoing debate wages among academics focusing on this issue.
Recently, a great deal of academic research has focused on the effect that technology has on the language arts classroom.
In a recent article from The Reading Teacher, Julia Kara-Soteriou, Lisa Zawilinski, & Laurie Henry (2007) take into consideration
the many ways that technology can be incorporated into writing workshops. The authors offer suggestions of many websites
(see the Web Links to Learning section of this website) that can be used by students and teachers to develop writing
skills and story ideas, through online activities and graphic organizers. The central message of this research is that technology
may motivate and engage students in ways that traditional methods fall short; it is suggested that, “By pairing good
literature with technology, students and teachers alike benefit as students become more motivated to write” (p. 698).
PBS Frontline recently aired a special entitled Growing Up Online (PBS, 2008), which profiled the lives of several
young people growing up in the technological world in which we now find ourselves. Of particular interest to educators, the
difference of opinions among teachers on this issue was presented through interviews with two current teachers at the same
New Jersey High School. One teacher, Rose Porpora, who has been teaching for 30 years, expressed her concerns with the technological
take-over of the school environment. On no longer knowing if her students’ work is genuine, due to ease with which text
can be plagiarized from the Internet, she lamented, “I feel like something's been taken from me as a teacher of language,
as a teacher of the beauty of the word.” It seems that in our ever-changing technological world, some teachers are being
left behind. With a comment that may provide incentive for future teachers to become technologically-savvy, Rose suggested,
“There are definitely some teachers who have been identified as real [technological] pros; they’re
just so technically savvy that they’re the leaders. They’re helping the administration, they help the kids…there’s
definitely an identification of who’s really good at it on the faculty as well as in the student body.”
One of those tech-savvy teachers, Steve Maher, provided a different point of view with regard to using technology in the classroom.
Whereas Rose viewed it as a challenge to overcome, in his interview, Steve suggested “Technology helps you teach more
effectively” and stressed the importance of “…providing students with the best, most current type of education
that's possible.” Indeed, this Frontline report provided some interesting insight into teachers’ attitudes towards
technology in the classroom.
Some polls have found that reading in North America is in dramatic decline; a 2006 study found that only 16% of 15- to
17-year-olds read for pleasure on a daily basis (Cart, 2007). However, some researchers have suggested that it may be necessary
for educators to revisit and revise our definitions of reading and writing. To teens, these practices seem to have taken on
new meanings. Today, it seems that teens are reading books less, but reading on the Internet more; they are writing on paper
less, but writing in online blogs, instant messengers and social networking sites more. As Cart suggests, “There
are problems with declining reading skills, but there is also hope that a new emphasis on adolescent literacy may remedy that.
And perhaps as we continue to redefine ‘reading’ in this age of the Internet, we will find that teens are actually
doing far more of it than traditionalists have thought.”(p. 54). Perhaps we need to begin to recognize
the changes that are happening; we should work with what the students are doing, rather than focusing on the things
they are not doing. By incorporating technology into the classroom, educators can engage students and appeal to their interests.
Once students are (pardon the pun) tuned-in to a lesson, teachers can teach them to use technology in constructive
ways. They can teach students to view the Internet with a critical eye.
Social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook are becoming increasingly popular among adolescents. Some researchers
have suggested that teachers should not fear, but rather embrace these networks, and even take it a step further by creating
websites for their own classes where students can share ideas. If students realize that they are publishing written work on
the Internet, and will be receiving peer and teacher feedback in a public forum, perhaps they will work harder to ensure that
the writing is error-free. By getting technology on our side and creating online communities that students and teachers can
collaborate within, some researchers suggest that the Internet can enhance student learning (O’Hanlon, 2007). Of course,
classroom use of the Internet requires close teacher monitoring and agreement on the part of the students to accept the rules
and responsibilities of using this technology. Like O’Hanlon, Witte (2007) suggests that online technology can be used
to engage students and to teach them valuable skills, “By combining writing with online technology, teachers can provide
opportunities for students and future educators to develop their digital fluency while also strengthening their traditional
literacy skills” (p. 92). In her research, Witte cited a project that she initiated between preservice teachers and
middle school students, called The Talkback Project. This was a two-way journal activity for which students were paired
with preservice teachers in order to communicate their responses (via a blog) to a novel being studied by both groups. Despite
some challenges, the project proved to be a successful learning experience for both groups. Witte concludes on a positive
but cautionary note, suggesting that technology must be integrated into the classroom, but that schools must prepare for the
safety and legal concerns that Internet use may bring.
Not all of the research on technology in the classroom has been positive. One teacher-researcher in particular has come
out with a strong stance against the technological takeover. Lowell Monke (2004) cites problems that technology can pose on
student development: “Examples abound of technology’s circumventing the developmental process: the
student who uses a spell checker instead of learning to spell, the student who uses a calculator instead of learning to add
– young people sacrificing internal growth for external power”(p. 12). In response to these perceived
developmental problems brought on by technology, he suggests that the valuable resources that are being spent to bring computers
into schools could be better spent elsewhere. Monke expresses concern that students are being over-exposed to technology,
and particularly the Internet. He raises the point that human values such as discipline, moral judgment and empathy are being
sacrificed to engage students in a technological world that decreases the amount of face-to-face interaction young people
receive in their daily lives (Monke, 2006). In a recent (2006) article, Monke begs the question “How can young people
develop the wisdom to judge high technology if they are told from the moment they enter school, implicitly if not explicitly,
that they need high-tech tools to learn, to communicate, to think?” (p. 22). These are important questions that should
be taken into consideration when bringing technology into the classroom. Indeed, teachers must regularly engage in critical
inquiry with students to ensure that they see the Internet as a resource, and not a replacement for independent thought. As
we move into the 21st century and technology continues to expand, perhaps educators should keep Monke’s words, that
“Children typically spend nearly half their waking life outside of school sitting in front of screens” (p. 14)
in mind, so as not to move too far in the other direction. Indeed, as with anything in life, a delicate balance must be maintained.
From reviewing the literature on this topic, it is clear that many divergent opinions exist when it comes to technology’s
place in the classroom. One thing is certain – the Internet, and the age of technology are not going anywhere. Whether
teachers choose to include technology in their classroom instruction or not, it is out there and it is a major part of students’
daily lives. Thus, it is an issue that teachers should be aware of, regardless of their stance on its place in the classroom.
|
