ETEC 695

Terry S. Toney

What a breath of fresh air Jane Healy was to read! Healy was neither doomsayer nor soothsayer, but rather a logical, careful, mindful woman who approached technology in the classroom as neither a cure-all or cause-all. Of all the books we read, this book is my favorite. Was it the most intellectually challenging? No, Kuhn wins that award. Was it the most paranoid and annoying? Sorry, that was Postman. Was it the most illuminating? McLuhan wins that one hands down. No, this book was different from page one. It was a careful, rational approach to the idea that educational technology is here to stay and what could be rationally expected of it.

I enjoyed Healy simply for the fact that she brought out very explicit and important questions that have been addressed in teacher lounges for years, but never seem to make it into the news or onto the floor of the Congress. Simply put, a computer in the classroom, even a "connected" computer in each classroom, will not suddenly teach little Johnny to read or to improve on standardized or state mandated tests. A monitor, hard drive and keyboard do not have the capability of producing magical results. Rather, it is a dedicated teacher that produces those results using technology as just another tool in their arsenal against illiteracy.

On page 64, Healy brings out a pertinent and often forgotten fact- a computer in the classroom does not necessarily mean that it will be utilized. If it is utilized at all, it will most often be under utilized, simply due to the fact that the teacher is uncomfortable, unsure or frightened of that new technological beast sitting silent and forbidding in the corner of her classroom. Technology will not be effective if the teachers are not trained in its use and effectiveness. Healy brings out the pertinent point that many school systems eagerly divert money for hardware purchases, while forgetting or neglecting to divert equal or better yet, more money for teacher training. Healy states that in 1997, only 15% of American teachers had nine hours of technology training. Actually, I agreed with Healy on many points she brought out in her book. Healy stated unequivocally on page 67, "The mere presence of computers guarantees nothing about their educational value." That is the essence of what this entire book was about and also the perfect summary statement for any educational technologist.

Dropping a fully loaded, high speed access computer into an unprepared teacher's classroom will be greeted with as much enthusiasm as if you dropped a snarling pit bull dog into that same corner. The teacher will seek to ignore it, if at all possible, but even familiarity over time will not lessen the perceived threat of it. This scenario is still present, even in the year 2001, with many Louisiana school boards acting like deranged Santas, dropping computers into each and every classroom, but providing no training on its effective use. Is it any wonder that the computer sits alone in a corner while the teacher tries to camouflage its existence under stacks of ungraded papers? A silent threat is still a threat.

On page 66, Healy brings out another point that I have often pondered. Teachers tend to use technology in exactly the same way they use older instructional methods. Teachers have not embraced the new technology and sought out ways to use its inherent strengths. Computers are little more than glorified typewriters, rather than wholly a new and different technology with its own unique uses.

I found it interesting and quite bold of Healy to address not only the use of computers in the classroom or school atmosphere, but to also address the use of computers in the home and their relative importance to children. Particularly, to computers perceived value for children. As much as I enjoy the use of computers both in and out of my classroom, I realize that there is tremendous stress placed on households now to purchase computers for their children. It is a brilliant marketing strategy, hitting both hard and below the belt at old fashioned relentless parenthood guilt. Obviously Little Johnny will not get that scholarship to Princeton if he is not diligently pounding on a computer keyboard by the age of two. I wonder if computer literacy is now a requirement in those competitive entry kindergartens around the United States? Must your two year old's diaper bag include a space for their baby laptop? Is it necessarily a good thing for a toddler to catch Elmo's letters in their virtual alphabet basket for hours upon end? In truth, due to personal circumstances, I was eager to see what Healy had to say about this phenomena. She did not disappoint me. Her points were somewhat controversial, but well researched and documented.

I agreed with much of what Healy had to say about computers and their effect on children's development. It is a known fact that obesity in American children is rising at an alarming rate. But should computers necessarily be blamed for this unhealthy trend? Perhaps it is the twenty year decline in school board and family support for structured physical education classes, rather than the mostly recent advent of computer usage in homes and schools, that should be blamed. My son, a seven year old, has physical education only one hour per week, in two thirty minute slots spread over five days. Recess is only a thirty minute break a day, to compensate for all the additional schooling that must be crammed into the school day to prepare him or a test that is still three years away. As the parent of a child with cerebral palsy, who utilizes technology to assist him in his daily school activities, I can see where the benefit of technology greatly outweighs the risks associated with his early exposure to it. Additionally, as a parent of a seven year old "disabled" child, one whose disability makes it difficult for him to run or climb, perhaps I can shed some light on Dr. Healy's worries about computer usage in young children. My son spends a large amount of his free time on computer pursuits, that is without question. However, he also spends a great deal of time reading, chasing the dog (who never gets caught), learning to play the piano and playing outside spontaneously. In truth, I am more concerned with the fact that my son is an only child than I am with his computer habits.

Nevertheless, her "Brain Basics" was interesting to me, as an educational technologist. The idea that the computer may not be the best choice for early childhood education is not revolutionary, at least in my opinion. For a young child struggling to learn language and gross motor skills, the use of a mouse or keyboard is not necessarily paramount. I would, however, prefer to add a caveat to her thesis on this idea- the value of early childhood software is often suspect. Software produced by a computer programmer is not necessarily educationally sound or valuable, though it might be graphically pleasing and entertaining. In essence, if it looks like a dancing bear and acts like a dancing bear, then it is a dancing bear. And a dancing bear is no more educational on a computer monitor than it is floating over a toddler's bed in a mobile. Although there is a new emphasis in early childhood computer software, programs developed by experts in early childhood education, there is still too little software that can definitely be applauded for its educational content, making the idea of early computer usage even more unpalatable.

Healy takes aim at a definite sore point for teachers on page 144. She provides a short discourse on a teacher who complains about having to always "entertain" her students. It is something that is discussed ad nauseam in teacher's lounges throughout our entire country. In the vignette, the teacher states that it is a crime to be "boring" and that students have no patience anymore. It is easy to lay these complaints at the foot of video game and computer technology. After all, these games provide are always touted about providing "instant gratification" to the player. Is it any wonder that the "new student" or the "new worker" shows a lack of initiative or persistence when faced with a difficult problem? To this I answer, if you think a Playstation or Nintendo 64 game provides "instant gratification" you probably haven't ever played one. I am still on the third level of Star Wars Dark Forces and I've been playing it for six months. My seven year old, however, is on level eight, simply because as a member of the "Nintendo Generation" he is intuitively more attuned to the essence of the game and the technology's capabilities. He can always find those darn hidden laser missiles while I simply founder and struggle.

In my opinion, the real dilemma is not that students of today are less patient or persistent than their predecessors. The real dilemma, one that is horribly frightening and off-putting for the average classroom teacher, is that adults have not caught onto the intuitive nuances and capabilities of our new technology. As I mentioned before, the biggest problem classroom teachers face when using new technology is the idea that the technology must be used exactly like old pedagogical techniques. Youngsters feel and can accept the nuances of a new technology so much faster and more easily than can the average classroom teacher....or the average educational software designer, for that matter. Computers are still being used as surrogate flash cards for rote drill practice, as a quick, more current encyclopedia or as a glorified typewriter, rather than as a new, exciting and useful technology whose efficiency and effectiveness are bound up in the new technology's unique structure and function. The solution is to get teachers thinking about technology's uniqueness, rather than its sameness. In truth, a classroom computer should at once be as normal and necessary in the classroom as pencils and notebooks and yet as unique and functional as is inherent in typical computer technology. This is the real challenge I see that faces educational technologists.

I enjoyed Healy immensely. Her prose was deliberate and easy to read. Her thoughts were well researched and deliberate. It was overall an edifying and wonderful read. Although I agreed more with Healy's opinions than I opposed them, I can definitely see where future study and emphasis should be placed. I feel that even today, with Congress and school districts eagerly shelling out hundreds of millions of dollars to "connect" American school children, we are facing a crisis in educational technology usage.

The technology, if it is utilized at all, is being under utilized. There must be a grassroots educational campaign that encourages teachers not only to become comfortable with the use of computers in their classrooms, but more educational emphasis must be placed on the uniqueness computer technology brings with it. Classroom computer usage should not be simply be seen as a surrogate textbook, typewriter or flash card, but should be expected to encompass all the wonderful nuances that is unique to computer technology. As a future educational technologist, I must be aware of the trap of under utilizing a wonderful classroom resource and must take steps to prevent it this happening.