After the Bubbles Popped

I. Introduction: I wish in this short talk to discuss one central question: What are wise uses of technology in education after the recent "bubbles" of the New Economy, telecommunications industries, and enthusiasm for the Internet have all popped? And then I wish to ask a question of you for our discussion period: How do we know what "wise uses" are?

II. There long has been considerable criticism of the use of computers in schools.

For the Locus Classicus of this argument see Todd Oppenheimer, "The Computer Delusion", The Atlantic Monthly, July 1997, (Online) http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/97jul/computer.htm

See also Education World interview (http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech029.shtml) with Clifford Stoll, author of High-Tech Heretic: Why Computers Don't Belong in the Classroom and Other Reflections by a Computer Contrarian. and of Silicon Snake Oil -- Second thoughts on the Information Highway. Another interview, by Russell D. Hoffman on his radio show High Tech Today is found at: http://www.animatedsoftware.com/hightech/cliffsto.htm.

Some of you may have heard the National Public Radio piece (September 24, 2002) interviewing Lauren Sheehan, faculty chair of Swallowtail School in Hillsboro, Oregon, who argued against the use of computers in K-8 education. (For a related story see: "High Demand for Low-Tech School. See how techie parents support teachers who keep computers out of the classroom", By Suzanne Brahm, Tech Live. http://www.techtv.com/news/culture/story/0,24195,3375635,00.html Swallowtail School's home page is at: http://home.europa.com/~tjspears/SwallowTail/

III. Even if you are enthusiastic about computers as a learning tool, perhaps the status quo is now satisfactory? For example, the federal government recently taken the attitude that the problem of the "Digital Divide" has been solved. See U.S. Department of Commerce, “A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use of the Internet." http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/dn/ ( For analysis of this argument see: Jeffrey Barlow, "The Digital Divide in the Fall of 1992, The Journal of Education, Community, and Values" August, 2002 at: http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2002/08/editorial.php)

IV. And presuming that we are fully in favor of the wise use of computers, and have administrative or other necessary support, funding is getting ever more difficult to secure.

This is due in large part to the collapse of the "New Economy" in April of 2000: In the words of John Cassidy, author of dot.con, the best explanation of the relationship between the stock market, the Internet and the New Economy bubble with which I am familiar:

The collapse of the NASDAQ was a turning point in American history. For the past five years, the stock market, particularly the NASDAQ, had been a symbol of American technological leadership and economic power. Most of all, it had been a symbol of American self-confidence. Ronald Reagan used to claim that the 1980’s represented “morning in America,” but this claim rang somewhat hollow in an age when gnarled operators like Ivan Boesky and Robert McFarlane were busy going about their business. It was during the 1990s, following the collapse of the Soviet Union and victory in the Gulf War, that the United States really discovered a feeling of youth and vigor. Old restrictions seemed to slip away, and the country stepped into the future like an animal shedding its winter coat. The rise of Silicon Valley and the Internet was something fresh---something untarnished by financial scandal or memories of Vietnam. It gave new life to the most potent American myth of all: that the future is boundless. (Cassidy, John. dot.con. The Greatest Story Ever Sold. Harper Collins, New York: 2002.p. 295).

Increasing concern for security is also diverting resources, particularly critical in research and development (R&D). We are, I am told, seeing a consolidation in the firms working, for example, with educational software. This will probably be true for virtually every aspect of the computer-related industries, and telecommunications as well. See Jeffrey Barlow, "The Internet, Securities, and Security", The Journal of Education, Community, and Values, July, 2002 at: http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2002/07/editorial.php

This will mean reduced private sector grant funding, fewer workshops, fewer opportunities for training, etc.

And, of course, public funding for education in general is drying up dramatically all over the country.

V. This problem is a very large and complex one, amounting perhaps even to a paradigm shift: Computers and everything about them were exciting, wonderful, endlessly promising. Now, I think, we have the appropriate backlash. Computers are of questionable utility, too expensive, potentially a threat to homeland security and in any event, what is the big deal, most libraries and schools already have them?

VI. In this environment, I think we have to make the case for the use of computing in education quite differently. We have to know what works and what does not, when particular approaches are appropriate, and above all, we must be able to clearly express our choices and to defend them with appropriate studies and analysis .

There is a great deal of valuable analysis out there on these issues, (See, for example: (For 12-17 year olds see: "Teenage Life Online" The rise of the instant-message generation and the Internet's impact on friendships and family relationships. http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/pdfs/PIP_Teens_Report.pdf) (For High School students see: "The Digital Disconnect: The Widening Gap between Internet-Savvy Students and Their Schools." http://www.pewtrusts.com/pdf/vf_pew_internet_schools.pdf) (For College-age students see: "The Internet Goes to College: How students are living in the future" September 2002 A report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. http://www.pewtrusts.com/pdf/vf_pew_internet_college.pdf)

Most of this information is very reassuring: it shows that while younger students use the Internet primarily for entertainment, older ones use it largely for educational purposes. The studies also show, however, that our students are far better users of the Internet than are we, their teachers, and probably we need to spend more time online rather than less, and to make wiser uses of the technology currently available.

But most of us have seen fit to ignore assessment questions. Nothing raises the hackles of teachers faster than the notion of assessment, because we know that it is frequently a code-word for something else, often for budget cuts or anti-educational tirades. But we need to all become experts in assessing what we do, and in explaining it.

VII. Conclusion: So let me turn to you: what works and how do you know it does?