An Investment in Tomorrow’s University Students: Enhancing the Multimedia Skills of Today’s K-12 Teachers. (Dr. John Minor Ross)

Many teacher training programs, such as that of the Woodring College of Education, now require that their preservice teachers take an instructional technology course. Ross describes in this article a new course at a teacher college focused on multimedia classroom preparation. This course was developed over a five year time period and Ross claims that it was relatively inexpensive to implement. Students gave positive reviews to the course, which included activities with video editing, PowerPoint, digital camera use, technical terminology, and web design. Using this success story as a foundation, Ross details what he sees as fundamental in teaching teachers about technology: While teachers should be prepared to use multimedia resources for their class activities, they must remember that teachers are the key to student learning, not technology. In addition, whatever is implemented must also be evaluated, keeping in mind questions, such as how students benefit from new technology and what technology is essential in order to help students. This assessment must be presented, or available, for all community members who have a vested interest in the education of children.

In reading this article I recalled instances in which I saw the technology in use as completely ineffective at facilitating my learning. PowerPoint is a program that I consider to be overused or at least frequently misused. When programs such as this are used only to provide reading material to the class while the teacher lectures, many lessons fail to effectively engage students. It seems that the software that we use most frequently can be used in much more creative and interesting ways. I feel I have been provided with opportunities in my instructional technology class to use familiar tools in new ways. I believe that Ross shares my view that instructional technology classes should challenge preservice teachers to use their available resources in the most creative and engaging way possible, while, of course, keeping in mind that a perfect 10 minute presentation does not make up for a week of lecture in terms of student engagement.

Ross, J. M. (2001). An Investment in Tomorrow’s University Students: Enhancing the Multimedia Skills of Today’s K-12 Teachers. Journal of Computing in Small Colleges, 10/2001, 52-61.

Digital Game-Based Learning: It’s Not Just the Digital Natives Who Are Restless. (Richard Van Eck)

According to the author of this article, Van Eck, many years of research have contributed and supported the assertion that learning with games is both effective and can save instructional time compared to traditional teaching methods. The main issues to negotiate (after having substantiated this claim) games must be a good match for instructional goals and that educational games can be either educationally effective and not fun, or fun and ineffective in teaching students target content or skills. The main benefit, if we can find appropriate and engaging games, is that all learning takes place within a context that is meaningful to the game. This contextual learning is referred to as “situated cognition” and is widely recognized as beneficial to learning. Games that are good tend to require a “constant cycle of hypothesis, formulation (of ideas), testing, and revision.” Games that are not challenging enough bore and those that are too difficult can frustrate our students. Choosing a suitable game can be very difficult, but many games, even if they present inaccurate or incomplete information on a topic, can be useful, especially to well prepared teachers. These teachers are ready to explore issues in depth and offer extensions that are relevant to the context of the game in order to further learning. Van Eck offers a number of possible extension tools for in-game content: Spreadsheets, diaries, reports, letters, experiments, and so on.

For my future classroom, I am interested in the prospect of using games to teach skills and content. I could see many games as applicable to foreign language (Spanish/Japanese/ESL) learning goals. The simplest step would be to use a commercial off-the-shelf game in the target language. Some popular titles are available in other languages as they become popular. This is especially true for games with Japanese, as many of them originate in Japan. I would want to be careful to censor games that include violence, harsh language, or other inappropriate themes. Upon briefly viewing the recommended socialimpactgames.com I found "The English Taxi" for my future ESL students. I will continue to look into these resources, because well-constructed games that are relevant to my teaching have a great potential to engage my learners and save me time.

Van Eck, R. (2006). Digital Game-Based Learning: It’s Not Just the Digital Natives Who Are Restless. EDUCASE, 41, 17-18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30.

Integrating Technology into the Instructional Process: Good Practice Guides the Way. (Marianne Handler)

While this article is fairly out of date, it does offer some practical guidelines and suggestions for teachers looking to integrate technology into their classrooms. Instructional goals determine to a large extent which kinds of technology teachers can utilize to help their students. Handler, the author, does state that this should not happen in reverse; available technology should not influence what content is to be learned. After first identifying the goals of an activity and pointing out what students are to gain from a lesson, software and other potentially helpful technology should be evaluated for its usefulness in facilitating learning. Many types of software can help students both to learn content and also to develop valuable higher-order critical thinking and problem skills. Graphic organizers, like Inspiration, can be helpful for thought mapping and brainstorming. Spreadsheet programs, like Excel, are useful for the organization and evaluation of information (through graphs and charts, for example). Another tool mentioned is instant messaging.

Nowadays, voice and video “chatting” is commonplace and could be integrated into many projects; for example, for developing strategies and solutions to problems with distant groups of people online. Skype is a great example of such a program. As a future foreign language teacher, I could definitely see myself using this to help my students learn Spanish or Japanese. Distance is a non-issue with such a program and many people use it make friends, conduct business, and form online communities. As I have some experience with Inspiration and Excel, I would like to utilize them with my students, yet I wonder if these programs will be available (or sufficient numbers of computers) in the schools in which I will teach.

Handler, M. (2005). Integrating Technology into the Instructional Process: Good Practice Guides the Way. Learning Point.

Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. (by Marc Prensky)

According to Prensky, the common assumption among “Digital Immigrant” teachers is that our current students are more or less the same as those of the last generation. In this article, Prensky argues that our students have acquired an “entirely new language” that is derived from the digital world. The students of this generation are more likely and willing to adopt rapidly advancing technology; this is the attitude of a Digital Native. Digital Immigrants are reluctant to approach new technology and seem to be frustrated by the challenge that Prensky explains: To effectively teach modern students, educators must learn the new digital language and utilize the potential teaching tools of technology. Today’s students think and process information differently than the people of the previous generation. Additionally, these young people are constantly surrounded by computers, cell phones, video games, digital music players, and other technologies. For Digital Immigrant teachers to make progress and learn the digital language, Prensky recommends that they consider the following: Learning can be fun and high-paced; lecture does not have to be the default instructional strategy; and even serious, complex content can be integrated into a video game.

In reading this article I tried to consider where I fall along the spectrum of digital adoption. I was born in 1984, and therefore I probably fall slightly out of the range of the Digital Natives. However, I don’t think I could be considered a Digital Immigrant. I agree with Prensky that the current generation of students is very different from its parents’ generation. I feel that it may be a challenge for me to keep up with advancing technology and its effects on my students. The factors that I believe will determine the difficulty of my task are based on two questions: How fast technology advances and how fast my students are able to acquire and integrate it into their lives. I am literally blown away by predictions about the acceleration of technology, yet an economy based on linear (as opposed to exponential) growth appears unable to allow all starry-eyed individuals to access or consume it at the same rate. Despite my uncertainties, I do plan to challenge myself to engage my students by integrating new technology into my classroom.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon, 9, 5.