Information and Communication Technology for Educational Leaders - Thesis Example

ICT: Boon or Bane for Educational Leaders? The fast pace that the world is progressing at this time and age has brought about technological advancements never even dreamed of by our grandparents. Technology brings on undeniable advantages to the human race. It makes life a lot more convenient. Information on absolutely anything and everything under the sun is just within reach. A touch of a button may spell wonders, especially for young students eager to discover awesome new things at the comfort of their own homes or classrooms. Likewise, modern inventions for communication have been responsible for making the world a smaller, cozier place where people are more connected. Educational leaders are excited as well. They are aware of how Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can have a great impact on education and on the students they cater to. However, there are many challenges that beset them. They need to equip students with increasingly higher levels of knowledge and skill not only through the provision of a conventional curriculum incorporating ICT, but also help them develop personal qualities such as being autonomous, self-organizing, networking, enterprising, innovative (Hargreaves, 1999), with the capability constantly to redefine the necessary skills for a given task, and to access the sources for learning these skills (Castells, 1998). Such aims are truly challenging to achieve. The openness and attitudes of teachers, being the frontliners in this particular educational reform is examined. Most teachers are not adequately prepared yet to make use of exciting new educational technologies because neither their teacher education programs nor their schools have provided sufficient time or incentives for them to learn (Norman, n.d.). Teachers themselves need to be transformed from the traditional ways of organizing teaching and learning in school to using more technical skills in more open, user-friendly, peer-controlled, interactive, virtual communities. Teachers need to model flexibility, networking and creativity which are key outcomes for students to survive the next millennium (Hargreaves, 1999). Training of teachers in ICT and staff development is one huge challenge faced by educational leaders. Psychologically, technology can pose problems for staff feeling threatened and insecure of being dispensable, and easily replaced by the new innovation (Jones & O’Shea, 2004). This is mostly appeased by effective training. Human resources strategy and practice is central to the successful staff development. Enhancing traditional teaching and learning and incorporating modern approaches befitting ICT for experienced teachers and recruiting staff with expertise in delivering a high quality teaching and learning environment (Jones & O’Shea, 2004). Eugene Schwartz (n.d.) in his discussion on Computers in Education opines in the website MillenialChild.com that “one of the most readily accepted truisms concerning computers is that they, along with other electronic media, are "a set of tools to enhance the imagination and provide new methods for expression and learning." Indeed, the rich colors of the animated graphics, the dynamic movements, interesting sounds and music and fast-paced action on screen keeps viewers in awe. Add to that the appeal of being interactive, that at one click of a button rewards the viewer with an immediate response. Children would definitely choose something so exciting over traditional educational materials like one-dimensional textbooks and plain lectures. “Today, multimedia technology is playing a progressively bigger role in education, with some of the view that this technology is revolutionizing teaching and learning. For example, computers have revolutionized the teaching of engineering. In addition, Internet and on-line campuses (with cyber-classes) are now common in the education arena, particularly at the tertiary level. Such educational forums are without walls (`open architecture universities) and based on electronic learning. In such an environment, there are electronic admissions, electronic activities, electronic student counseling, electronic bookstores, electronic assessment and electronic libraries.” (Family & Community Development Committee, 1998) In another website, http://courses.wcupa.edu/fletcher/english121/projects/10b/jessy.htm, Wendy Schwartz states three main reasons that computers should be a significant part of a student’s education: (Norman, n.d. ) computers can make learning all subjects easier, and they are especially valuable in developing students language and problem-solving skills Students can use computers to reach hundreds of telecommunications networks, these sources provide a huge amount of information that students cannot get from textbook and more traditional learning tools Computer literacy, understanding computers technology, is necessary for most good-paying and interesting careers All the aforementioned developments, influenced by modern advances in technology, seem to benefit students, as their learning medium is not limited to printed matter. However, debates on the use of ICT in schools have erupted, questioning its overwhelming effects on education. This poses as another challenge to educational leaders: how to convince traditional thinkers of the benefits of ICT. Advocates claim that benefits of ICT use far outweigh the disadvantages. Clements (1999) maintains that “Technology can change the way children think, what they learn, and how they interact with peers and adults” (p. 1). He also recommends technology as a tool for improving childrens learning through exploration, creative problem solving, and self-guided instruction (Clements & Samara, 2003). A three-year project at the Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood Education at Western Illinois University (Hutinger & Johanson, 2000) provides additional support for using computer technology with young children with disabilities. Their study emphasizes access to computers as an avenue to social interaction among children, working cooperatively, gaining confidence in themselves, controlling their environments, and making gains in language and communication. Hutinger and Johanson, supported by research by Clements (1999), point out that the enabling component of computers assists children in transforming concrete ideas into symbolic form. Still another challenge is the cost of ICT. It is no secret that installing computers in schools entail much expense. In the US, total school spending on computer technology, in the ’90s alone, was estimated at $70 billion. And the ongoing Federal “e-rate” program continues to pump $2.25 billion each year into Internet networks for poor schools. (Rogers, 2003). However, partnering with big, generous companies may just be the perfect solution. Jessy Norman reports that school districts across the United States, about seventy of them, are working with The Microsoft Corporation to create what they call a "Connected Learning Community". Together, Microsoft and the schools have developed the "Anytime, Anywhere Learning" program whose goal is for all students to have their own portable computer and to use these tools like pencils and paper. According to the programs promoters, the idea is to enable students to produce the work that would be acceptable in classrooms around the world (The Education Digest- p. 58). The program also gives teachers access to the Internet, they can talk with other teachers and put technology into the curriculum anytime, anywhere. Teachers in this program have stated that students are not just learning better and faster: they are also learning and doing things that were impossible without the new technology (59). The program is said to have boosted the students problem-solving skills and intellectual autonomy. The mechanical processes of typing and retyping have been minimized; it is reported that these students can spend more time now on other things in the classrooms. Educational leaders have been placed in a dilemma in evaluating the incorporation of ICT in the school curriculum. Enthusiasm for multimedia use is not universally shared by specialists in childhood development. The doubters greatest concern is for the very young -- preschool through third grade, when a child is most impressionable. Their apprehension involves two main issues. (Oppenheimer, 1997) First, they consider it important to give children a broad base -- emotionally, intellectually, and in the five senses -- before introducing something as technical as a computer. This is coherent with the beliefs of Education and Psychology giants such as Piaget, Rosseau, Froebel, Montessori, Dewey that hands-on experiences with concrete objects are necessary prerequisites to more abstract learning. The concrete interactions and experiences with the real world helps children retain learning better because they have actually experienced learning using most, if not all their senses. Hands-on learning is “the opportunity to manipulate physical objects such as beans or colored blocks. The value of hands-on learning, child-development experts believe, is that it deeply imprints knowledge into a young childs brain, by transmitting the lessons of experience through a variety of sensory pathways.” (Oppenheimer, 1997) Second, they believe that the human and physical world holds greater learning potential. The teacher is one major component in the real world. Schwartz (n.d.) puts it beautifully when he says, “The teachers living and warm presence, and the unfolding of content in the immediacy of the moment are what convey knowledge - and wisdom - most powerfully to the child. Anything that "mediates" between the child and teacher will, in some sense, dampen down this living quality.” Wardle (1999) believes that computers do not need to be part of childrens foundation for learning. She asserts that the early years are necessary for establishing a foundation for success later in life, and computers have limited value in doing so. The foregoing arguments need to be carefully considered by educational leaders in evaluating their ICT-incorporated curricula. Sure, new innovations may be seductively effective in raising and sustaining motivation in student learning, however, it is the educational authority of school leaders and teachers that will determine what is developmentally-appropriate for students and provide this in their high quality education. Computers may be good to introduce to young children, but only as a supplement to the main, hands-on activities they should be indulging in. One such organization held in high esteem when it comes to children’s interests is the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). In their position statement “Technology and Young Children—Ages 3 through 8,” NAEYC notes that “professional judgment is required by teachers to determine whether technology is age appropriate, individually appropriate, and culturally appropriate for the children in their care. NAEYC recommends the integration of technology into the learning environment as one of many options to support childrens social and cognitive abilities but cautions that computers should not replace other valuable learning centers, such as blocks, art, sand or water play, books, dramatic play, or exploratory areas in the classroom” (Bredekamp, 2007) ICT may be more deeply ingrained in the curriculum of older, more mature students who have had enough concrete learning experiences that helped them gain basic skills. Efficient, organized, creative and sensitive teachers trained thoroughly in ICT are essential in high quality schools. They are educational leaders’ best assets in achieving their goals in the implementation of programs that incorporate ICT. Surpassing the challenges related to ICT in schools will definitely help educational leaders prepare students for a brighter, more sophisticated and more competitive future. In doing so, such leaders would find fulfillment in having had a hand in the future success of their young protégés. References Bredekamp, S., & Copple, C.,(Eds.). (1997). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs (Rev. ed.). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children. Castells, M. (1988) End of Millennium. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, Ltd. Clements, D. H. (1999). The effective use of computers with young children. In Juanita V. Copley (Ed.), Mathematics in the early years (pp. 119-128). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. ED 440 786. (Also available: http://investigations.terc.edu/relevant/EffectiveUse.html [2004, November 18].) Clements, D. H., & Sarama, J.. (2003). Young children and technology: What does the research say? Young Children, 58(6), 34-40. Cordes, C., & Miller, E. (Eds.). (2000). Fools gold: A critical look at computers in childhood [Online]. College Park, MD: Alliance for Childhood. Available: http://www.allianceforchildhood.net/projects/computers/computers_reports_fools_gold_contents.htm [2004, September 11]. ED 445 803. Family & Community Development Committee, (1998) ‘Inquiry into the effects of television and multimedia on children and families in Victoria , retrieved on August 14, 2008 from: http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/fcdc/default.htm, Fischer, M.A., & Gillespie, C.W.. (2003). Computers and young childrens development. Young Children, 58(4), 85-91. EJ 676 583. 18(3), 66. EJ 623 694. Hargreaves, D.H. (1999) “The Knowledge-Creating School”, British Journal of Educational Studies, Vol 47, No. 2. Hutinger, P. L., & Johanson, J. (2000). Implementing and maintaining an effective early childhood comprehensive technology system. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 20(3), 159-173. EJ 614 771. Jones, N. & O’Shea, J. (2004) “Challenging Hierarchies: The Impact of E-Learning.”, Higher Education, Vol 48. pp. 379-395. Norman, J. (n.d.), ‘Negative Effects of computers in classrooms’, retrieved on August 16, 2008 from http://courses.wcupa.edu/fletcher/english121/projects/10b/jessy.htm Oppenheimer, T. (1997) ‘The computer delusion’, The Atlantic Monthly; July 1997; Volume 280, No. 1; pages 45-62. Papert, Seymour. (1980). Mindstorms: Children, computers, and powerful ideas. New York: Basic Books. Rogers, M. (2003) ‘Are computers wrecking schools?’, Newsweek Web Exclusive, Oct 28, 2003 retrieved August 15, 2008 from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032542/site/newsweek/ Schwartz, E., (n.d.) Computers in education, retrieved on August 15, 2008 from http://www.millennialchild.com/Computers01.htm Wardle, F.. (1999). Foundations for learning: How children learn: The latest on ways to maximize childrens learning and development. Children and Families, 18(3), 66. EJ 623 694. Computers in Education Eugene Schwartz http://www.millennialchild.com/Computers01.htm The article on this website discusses the effects of introducing computers to young school children. The author is an advocate of Waldorf education which emphasizes “human-centered” education. It upholds the belief that nothing replaces a teacher’s living and warm presence and her conveyance of knowledge and wisdom to the child, and the benefits of experiencing learning first-hand instead of through the use of an impersonal tool such as the computer. The author does not fully reject the value of computers in education. He just proposes that a child needs meaningful and relevant learning experiences from more personalized and warm sources such as real people and real environments. Having this requirement will equip a child with the healthiest foundation for valuing technology in later life. Read More