SENIOR SCHOOL NEWS
Technology: panaceas, problems and pragmatism Using technology in the classroom The touted benefits of technology are wide ranging and numerous: improved quality of instruction, classroom climate and management, metacognition and self-regulation, homework, and feedback. For example, the rapid and interleaved retrieval practice that educational software, such as Quizlet or Anki, facilitates has been shown to improve educational outcomes. These things are possible with pen and paper but technology allows you to do at a pace and scale precluded by traditional methods. These methods should be used to support, not replace, established educational techniques that are effective, such as wrote-learning and recall. Additionally, there’s the modality effect; by having different types of media, e.g. text and graphic, this allows for a deeper level of processing. Technology does not have the monopoly on this but programmes such as Nearpod, Socrative, Firefly, Prezi and PowerPoint do allow a flexibility and nuance in how we pair different forms of media and the pace we deliver them to support understanding and underpin our traditional methods. In essence, we want our classrooms to be fun, productive and engaging learning environments and we know that technology can help. It would be easy to become carried away with the potential that technology has to transform our classrooms but let us be warned that technology can act as a distraction to learning, can negatively impact social development, and effect our ability to concentrate. There are different layers to engagement: cognitive, behavioural and emotional. When all three are present we have done all we can to cultivate learning, but often engagement is more fragmented than this and technology might mask a deficit. Behavioural and emotional engagement can be secured through flashy technology; students
behave and are happy. Knowing if it has promoted cognitive engagement is far trickier and without cognitive engagement we are unlikely to observe learning. Learner needs are often messy, nebulous and transient and so matching the technology mirrors those problems. Is technology really the future? It would be hubristic to say an outright no but it would be equally foolhardy to suggest that technology is some form of panacea. To pathologise or eulogise technology is not particularly helpful. Technology is not intrinsically good or bad, it is how you use it. Remember that our best teachers are those that remain students of their own impact and this includes, more than ever, the pragmatic, judicious and impact-focussed use of ‘EdTech’. DR GARY M. GLASSPOOL, Head of Teaching and Learning, Churcher’s College www.churcherscollege.com
Summer Open Day Saturday 2 July 2022 10am – 2pm Please visit the website to book your space
ChurchersCollege.com
