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Printable Version
Using
Technology in the Classroom:
The Road towards a Successful Learning Environment
A report by Michelle Freddolino, Sandy Lawton,
Mery Molenaar, and Karen Rosen, educational web consultants
December 2000
This report is a proposal for a persuasive website utilizing educational technology to support the Governor's decision regarding integration of technology into the K-12 classroom. The Governor's Office has assigned a committee to research the impact of technology on student learning in the K-12 classroom environment. The results of their research will determine the spending of an "Innovations in the K-12 Classroom" grant, which will be used to improve classroom learning within the state.
Purpose of the Proposed Website
Our proposal is for a website that will expose the committee to all sides of the argument and persuade the committee members to use the grant money in support of technology in the K-12 classrooms. The intention is to create a learning environment where members of the committee can explore the site and determine for themselves the intrinsic value of technology as an educational tool.
Due to the extensive impact by people opposing the increased use of technology in schools, the committee's perceptions on the use of technology have been negatively influenced. We have observed the following beliefs, values, and attitudes:
- Committee's beliefs:
- computers inhibit critical thinking, creativity, decision-making, and problem-solving skills;
- computers generate positive results only for high-school students and sophisticated teachers;
- computer-based projects have not been effectively implemented in schools;
- excessive use of computers and other technologies can cause physical strain or injury to students;
- Committee's values:
- preservation of programs, such as art, PE, and music above all that provide hands-on skills and social interactions;
- prevention of exposure to bad internet sites, such as pornography and racism;
- transferability and application of knowledge and skill learned in the classroom to the real world;
- Committee's attitudes:
- opposition to spending grant money on technology;
- concern that this expenditure will waste the money on another failed technology project when there are legitimate uses for the money.
We recommend using this information to design a persuasive web environment, which will demonstrate how a re-designed learning environment could be implemented. Therefore, our goal with this website is to educate the committee about the opportunity presented by technology to restructure the educational system qualitatively, thereby increasing the performance of the students (David, 1994).
To accomplish our goal, we will use the persuasion technique described in the article "How to Frame a Message: The Art of Persuasion and Negotiation". By framing our message, we provide a 'big picture' of the issues involved and focus the committee's attention on the pivotal issues through a perceptual filter.
Furthermore, we believe it is important that the website be interactive and require active participation from the user. We articulate that "active participation produces more attitude change than passive reception of information" (Dunlap, 2000).
Methodology
In David's (1994) article 'Realizing the Promise of Technology: The Need for Systematic Education Reform', she states that "the primary reason technology has failed to live up to its promise lies in the fact that it has been viewed as an answer to the wrong question". Based on McGaan's (2000) 'Rational Model of Persuasion', we will attempt to change the committee's attitude as set out in the Purpose of this report, by adjusting their beliefs and values.
To achieve this goal, we propose a combined methodology. To change the committee's beliefs, we will use case-based learning to provide clear counter evidence in support of technology in the schools. Altering their values will be best accomplished by anchored instruction. This methodology will be used to introduce a new value: use technology wisely, realizing that computers themselves are not a panacea to an improved learning environment, but that appropriate software, teacher education, and sufficient technical support are the driving forces behind a successfully implemented program. The proposed website will emphasize the importance of educating the committee on appropriate uses of technology within a classroom.
The website will provide an opportunity for visitors to experience successful learning with technology and to make sure they personally understand what it is. Upon entering the website's home page, the visitor is greeted by a photo of a building that resembles a welcoming community center. The doorway of the building is the dominant feature on the screen and features two very handsome but separate doors, presumably leading into the building. The two doors are labeled: "About Learning with Technology" and "Learning with Technology" (henceforth referred to as "About Learning" and "Learning"). Clicking on each door leads to a different path, representing different ways of knowing and learning about the subject at hand.
The "About Learning" Path (based on
principles of Constructivism)
Clicking on About Learning leads to a wealth of information and examples
about learning with technology. This case-based environment is designed
to expose the strengths and weaknesses of technology integration. This
section will also provide (1) examples of how schools have overcome various
concerns (as expressed in the Purpose section of this reprt) and (2) examples
of the concerns/problems the committe will still have to address.
The case-based learning methodology provides the interaction necessary for the committee members to filter their own beliefs and values. The case studies provided will educate and persuade the committee as well as demonstrate this instructional methodology as a successful learning tool. The examples of case-based learning allow the committee members and other interested parties to divert their beliefs as they explore the learning process and change their preconceived notion about this learning process.
The "Learning" Path (based on principles
of Situated Cognition)
Clicking on Learning immerses the visitor in a simulated environment in
which he/she will interact. The general goal is to develop an understanding
of how people learn with technology by experiencing learning with technology.
The visitor will have opportunities to challenge and confirm current beliefs
about technology's role in the schools and transform their own values
and beliefs, thereby changing their attitudes.
Situated Cognition/Anchored Instruction allows us to appeal to the logical, reasonable nature of the committee members as well as their emotional side. By navigating the macrocontext, the committee and other interested parties explore what technology in the classroom is all about. Throughout this macrocontext, anchored instruction will provide the framework needed to effectively persuade the committee members and will also demonstrate the significant benefits to learning provided by the use of this methodology.
Ideally, by using both anchored instruction and case-based learning methodologies, the committee members will realize the benefits of restructuring the educational system and including these instructional methodologies to improve student learning.
Strategies
Strategies for Anchored Instruction
"Situated cognition recognizes the inextricability of thinking and
the contexts in which it occurs, and exploits the inherent significance
of real-life contexts in learning...Knowledge is assumed to be the dynamic
by-product of unique relationships between an individual and the environment;
learning, then, is a natural by-product of individuals engaged within
contexts in which knowledge is embedded naturally..." (Choi &
Hannafin, 1995).
Our proposed website will provide a problem representing an issue that the majority of the committee members could personalize. A detailed scenario is described in the Interactions section of this report.
Conceptual Design of the Site
Design description: traditional, welcoming, substantial, people-oriented.
Overall design considerations: muted warm colors, user-controlled pace,
not flashy, not techie, not loud, very intuitive interface.
Context
By situating visitors within a rich environment and posing problems that
they can solve by interacting with other persons and things (affordances)
embedded in the environment, visitors develop knowledge they can use.
In addition, the environment and the problems posed must be authentic.
"Authenticity has important motivational potential...", "Authentic
tasks are more likely to become self-referenced and purposefully engaged
by learners." (Choi & Hannafin, 1995)
Content
Visitors will be immersed in a macrocontext which they can explore as
they solve smaller problems in their quest to solve an overarching problem.
In our proposed website, visitors will be challenged to solve a complex
problem that relates to technology in the schools: "Your school system
been offered 5000 used but usable computers from a local corporation.
Members of the local Board of Education are asking you and other respected
folks in town for their opinions." Forming an opinion requires the
person to learn about the effectiveness, methods, cost, etc. of technology
integration.
The environment itself contains much embedded data, both relevant and irrelevant. Visitors generate the problems, which they answer by examining relevant and irrelevant data embedded in the environment. In addition, they can explore the content from various perspectives for the purpose of developing diversity of thinking. For instance, the visitor can choose to explore from the perspective of an Elementary Educator, a Parent, a Board of Education Member, etc.
The problem set includes challenges of dealing with dollar costs of technology, possible health risks associated with technology, sociological implications, learning benefits, cost-benefit analysis, etc. For example, in a Parent's perspective, the visitor deals with concern about children's health issues.
Facilitation
We will be using the principles of cognitive apprenticeships and anchored
instruction: modeling, scaffolding, coaching, guiding, collaborating,
fading, and using cognitive tools and resources. An on-screen coach models
(demonstrates) both how to traverse the environment as well as how to
think about posing problems and finding solutions as visitors progress
though various level of problems.
The project is a collaborative effort. As such, diverse groups will be invited to provide expertise, share research, pose challenges, and express their ideas. Visitors will be encouraged to navigate the site as they feel. Each path utilizes many of the same resources - video clips, links, etc.
The macrocontext provides a community environment in which people are in familiar surroundings, trying to decide what to do about a particular problem. The problem is presented in an engaging manner in an effort to have the reader further investigate the situation. Design considerations used to create this rich learning environment include (Choi & Hannafin, 1995, Young, 1993)
- offering many and varied affordances for both knowledge-sharing and facilitation;
- posing problems and allowing visitors to pose their own problems to solve;
- providing a significantly engaging experience;
- providing a realistic problem.
Strategies for Case-based Learning
In addition to the macrocontext of the problem described above, the website
will provide sample real-life, case-based problems that show interaction
with issues of concern to the committee members, links, websites, etc.
By using case studies, the website attempts to change the committee's
attitude toward technology by providing clear counter evidence in support
of technology in the schools.
There will be several empirical cases from which the readers can choose. These are actual cases that are proven to be effective in learning. Additional web pages provide the resources, discussions, and results of actual student work. These pages will present the counter evidence to specifically address the opponent's arguments.
The following are examples that will be included as evidence of successful use of constructive instructional strategies in the K-12 classroom:
- Virtual Autopsy -- http://www.le.ac.uk/pathology/teach/va2/index.html
- Interactive Patient -- http://cgi.media.hku.hk/interactivepatient/medicus.htm
- ChemCases -- http://www.chemcases.com/
- The GreenGene Case Study -- http://www.greengene.net/
- Fleaing Louisiana -- http://bioquest.org/flea.html Sickle Cell Anemia -- http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/sickle_cell1.html
- Animal Use Case Studies -- http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEPC/WWC/1992/animal_use.html
Framing the Argument
To persuade the committee members of the success of technology
implementation in the classroom, we will frame our message based on the
committee's needs and specifics of the situation. The frame orients the
committee members such that they perceive our message with a certain inclination.
Our strategy is to provide a learning environment in which readers are
exposed to different cases through a 'good-bad' filter. In developing
our frame, we have used the following steps (from 'How to Frame a Message:
The Art of Persuasion and Negotiation'):
- Objective of our message: change the committee's attitude toward technology and secure a significant part of the grant money for implementation of technology in the K-12 classroom.
- Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat (SWOT) analysis of
the committee's current status: The committee is made up of members
from all over the state, representing various constituents in the state,
such as educators, business people, and parents. We perceive this diverse
composition of the committee as a strength, since it provides a vast
range of experiences and invites significant discussion among its members.The
major weakness and external threat we observed, is that the committee
has recently been exposed to extensive negative campaigning by the opposition,
which diminishes the committee's ability to make an objective decision.
Based on these strengths and weaknesses, the goal of the website is to frame our message accordingly:- elimination of the external threat by personalizing the argument (i.e. how will the integration of technology directly impact the committee members and their communities) and by providing strong counter evidence to the negative undercurrent;
- leverage of the opportunities for the students and the communities,
such as:
- Our strong economy thrives on high-tech and computer business.
- An estimated 60% of today's jobs nationwide require computer skills (Oppenheimer, 1997) and for Colorado this number may be even higher---during a recent visit, Vice President Gore referred to Colorado as 'Silicon Mountain'. Consequently, if implemented correctly, our state can afford the integration of technology into the classroom.
- By using grant money to implement technology, Colorado will assure that regular programs, such as PE, art, and music, are not in danger of being eliminated. Technology should be implemented to complement the current learning environment, not supplement it.
- Lastly, many technology programs have been implemented successfully.
- Frame Statement: Use technology to complement, not supplement, the current learning environment.
We intend to provide the frame throughout the website. However, the frame will be more dominant during the initial stages of the site navigation, while the committee members are just beginning to explore the site, since the committee will be most resistant at that time. As the visitors enter one of the doors and continue their journey through the provided macrocontext, their perceptions will slowly change in support of our position and the frame needs to be less obvious.
Interactions
The focus of the website will be on learner-content interaction. However, there will be opportunities for the committee members to engage in learner-facilitator and learner-learner interaction as well. It is important to avoid trying to change the reader's opinions directly, but to give them opportunities to change by exploring other perspectives through the case studies and the anchored instruction macrocontext.
The learner-facilitator interaction will provide opportunities for visitors, particularly the committee members, to challenge the experts and explore their own beliefs about the integration of technology. This will be realized through a moderated discussion forum where the moderators are experts from both sides of this debate.
In addition, we will make available an on-line chat area where questions can be posed and answered by anyone who shares an interest.
The Scenario
The website invites the visitor to enter one of two doorways, labeled:
"About Learning with Technology" and "Learning with Technology". Upon
clicking the "Learning" door, the visitor enters a well-appointed
lobby, filled with folks of all ages. In the lobby is a large-screen TV
with events scrolling across the screen. The events include the following
community conversations on education:
|
5000 Free Computers - Can We Afford It? |
From this point on, all visuals are from the perspective of the visitor, who uses mouse and arrow keys to move about the space.
Next, a not so youthful-looking person approaches the camera, greets the visitor, and thanks him/her for agreeing to participate in a community discussion. He (or she) further states that the goal of the event is to better understand the many issues surrounding the use of technology in the schools from a number of perspectives. That's why participants in community conversation include two classroom teachers, a parent, two students, a Board of Education member, a Town Council member, the town librarian, a retired citizen, a minister, a distance learning instructor from the local community college, and a healthcare professional (based on the 'Study Circle Model').
The facilitator invites all of the participants into a meeting room. The conversation begins with all participants introducing themselves and expressing their general opinion on technology in the schools. Each person represents specific values and beliefs (discussed in the Purpose paragraph of this report). The facilitator then provides a summary of the task at hand: "Can we come to some consensus, specifically, about whether or not we wish to accept the gift of 5000 computers, and, in general, how we want to see technology used in our schools?" Using a laptop and Proxima, the facilitator displays 3 topics:
- Why use technology when we have such great teachers?
- The Costs of Technology - Up front and Hidden
- The Human Costs of Technology - Physiological and Social
"Where shall we start?" invites the visitor to click on a topic. The topics represent 3 of the 'hottest' committee hot buttons. Clicking on a topic starts a video clip in which a 'real person' describes a case related to the topic, and the associated plusses and minusses which also appears on the Proxima.
As an example, upon clicking on the first topic, the visitor sees an elementary school teacher who describes using the Jason project which he used in conjunction with a 5th grade class for teaching geography and life sciences. The visitor can click on a series of buttons. One button presents a video clip of the teacher describing the benefits. Another button describes the teacher's concerns. A third button gives the teacher's summary opinion: "Yes, it was a ton of extra work and the site wasn't always up, but when Amy, who was controlling the underwater camera, focused on a xx and the class exclaimed xx - what could top that??" Other buttons brings up "More Examples", "Related Links", "Read More," and "Another Topic."
Upon choosing another topic to explore, the facilitator asks the visitor "What do you think?" A pop-up questionnaire appears which contains three opinion questions relating to the topic. The purpose is not to evaluate the visitor but to help him or her reflect upon what he/she has just heard and learned. The visitor can opt to share his/her opinions on each of the three topics within an on-line discussion group or choose to query the 'experts' directly.
After examining all three topics and answering three short surveys, the visitor is asked by the facilitator to (a) vote on what should be done with the 5000 computers? and (b) provide a statement about how technology should be used in schools in the community. If the user chooses, the statement (b) can be printed out or e-mailed.
Conclusion
The proposed website is designed to represent all issues that are of concern to the committee at large. Therefore, we do not intend to ignore presently known beliefs, attitudes, and values. By addressing these in a forthright manner, we establish a strong sense of credibility.
The empirical evidence provided addresses the proven benefits already experienced by many schools. Therefore, we are appealing to the committee members by clearly showing the benefits provided by implementing technology in a deliberate, well thought-out manner.
Furthermore, the macrocontext designed within the site is intended to provide a positive, personal experience for the committee members. Thus allowing them to personalize their experience and visualize how learning can be successfully implemented throughout the state.
Finally, we emphasize that state government, school districts, and teachers must work in a coordinated fashion to encourage collaboration between schools, disciplines, teachers, and tech support persons who support technology in classrooms and help make this project a success story for all students, teachers, and schools.
References
Bowman, J. P. (2000). Understanding Persuasion [Online]. Available: http://www.hcob.wmich.edu/~bowman/persuade.html [2000, December 13]
Choi, J-I and Hannafin, M. (1995). Situated Cognition and Learning Environments: Roles, Structures, and Implications for Design. Educational Technology Research and Development, 43 (2).
David, J. L. (1994, September). Realizing the Promise of Technology: The Need for Systemic Education Reform. Systemic Reform: Perspectives on Personalizing Education [Online]. Available: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/SysReforms/david1.html [2000, December 12]
Dunlap, J. & Schank, P. (2000). Persuasion Resources [Online]. Available: http://www.insighted.com/instrstrat/course/persuasionresources.html [2000, December 8]
How to Frame a Message: The Art of Persuasion and Negotiation [Online]. Available: http://cbpa.louisville.edu/sussman/frame2.htm [2000, December 10]
McGaan, L. (2000). Introduction to Persuasion [Online]. Available: http://department.monm.edu/cata/Handouts/PERS.FSC.html [2000, December 11]
Oppenheimer, T. (1997, July). The Computer Delusion . In The Atlantic Monthly [Online]. Available: http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/97jul/computer.htm [2000, December 12]
Study Circle Model. developed by the Study Circles Resource Center in Pomfret, CT
Young, M. (1993). Instructional Design for Situated Learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 43 (1)
Home | Purpose | Methodology | Strategies | Interactions | Conclusion | References
Using Technology in the Classroom
This site was developed by Michelle Freddolino, Sandy
Lawton, Mery Molenaar, and Karen Rosen as part of the online certification
program Designing
and Implementing Web-based Learning Environments
Design by Mery Molenaar ([email protected])
December 2000
URL: http://www.geocities.com/mery_molenaar/go_for_technology.html