Redesigning how we train teachers to use technology

I had this thought this morning about what might be a more ideal way of training preservice teachers to use technology. First, there should be a digital literacy prerequisite to enter the program so students in the program already have a specified amount of comfort using basic forms of technology. Second, there should still be a technology for teachers course as we have here at BYU, but the course should not focus on basic technologies, but on newer technologies, those technologies that will be impacting education in the near future even if they are not there yet. This class should overview several technologies and allow students to pick the ones that interest them and then according to these choices organize the students into learning communities to learn and master these technologies and then brainstorm how to apply them in education. The class should teach generally how to master unfamiliar technologies, because the teachers will always be up against new technologies in this ever-changing technological world. Finally, the methods instructors should model at least a basic form of technology integration, showing how technology can leverage proven teaching methods.

The problem with compatibility

I am a big believer in the importance of collaborative learning, and in today’s age, computer-supported collaborative learning. But I think the biggest hurdle to better online collaboration is compatibility issues. There are ways around these issues, but nobody wants the trouble of converting files or buying virtual pc or something like that. For collaboration to succeed, the participants need to be able to exchange ideas quickly, without technological hang-ups. Hopefully computer designers will key into this idea of layers and build computers and programs in layers so that a particular layer can easily be moved and adapted to many different situations, platforms, and computers. If the layers of software design each had their own interface, the layer itself could be moved to a new situation and the interface would allow the layer to still work. Think legos. A lego can be used in many different designs because the interface allows it to be part of a ship, plane, or anything else. This would really help online education and learning, I believe.

Dr. Andy Gibbons of BYU has been talking recently about computer and instructional design layers, and I think he presented at AECT last year on this subject.

Computer language transparency

I appreciated the discussion on computer languages, and how a GUI works itself down tot he basic machine language of 1s and 0s. These underlying languages do become transparent in modern software applications that allow non-computer science people to program computers to do powerful things. I think within a few years this trend will continue to the point that manipulating and managing websites will be as easy as manipulating Word documents. What I mean is that anybody, even 90-year-olds who can’t program a VCR can use Word, and in a couple of years I think making websites will be that easy with much less programming bugs then we currently get. In fact, I think word processing documents will cease to exist and we will do all of our composition, collaboration, and publishing in web-based documents. This is starting to happen already with Word web pages, and even Dreamweaver, which to some degree can work like a word processor. However, there are still too many bugs that are introduced through these programs, and if you don’t know web languages, you’re sunk. I think these programs will improve and the bugs will be eliminated until writing HTML is as transparent as writing in Word.

We’re moving in that direction a little bit already with Blogs, which allow non-web designers to create web pages. However, they’re not very powerful yet, and the technology needs to be improved before it can become universally used

Teaching by offsetting a student's equilibrium

I talked recently with Dr. Andy Gibbons about how a building is the right balance between forces pushing up (from the ground) and forces pushing down (gravity), and how teachers and instructional developers should also be aware of forces acting upon their audience or upon the instruction itself. These forces must be accounted for if the instruction is to be effective. We talked about how sometimes a teacher will push a student emotionally or mentally “off balance” so that they will be motivated to learn how to “right themselves.” For example asking a question that engages the student puts the student off balance intellectually and prompts a desire to know the answer so the student can be intellectually “at equilibrium” again. Teachers also put students emotionally off balance through use of humor, tears, etc. to motivate and engage students to learn. I believe morally, God does the same thing in his effort to instruct us.