Cuban - Chapter 4 Discussion

Why do you feel that computers have become so common use in today’s classrooms when film, radio, and television seemed to fail in terms of use?

Cuban has discussed and researched many valid reasons why teachers have not adopted and adapted to frequent use of other types of educational technology such as film, radio, and television. However, when the book was published in 1986, the “microcomputer” had yet to make its’ mainstream plunge into American homes, and almost every aspect of life. Cuban had expectations for the computer and predictions that the computer would have a usage very similar to that of film, radio, and television and on page 99, Cuban defends his feelings for this prediction. As with many of Cuban’s other arguments, he follows a similar approach to teacher use that depends on convenience and adaptability along with administrative support and scheduling issues.

For many years, Cuban’s feelings about computer use in the classroom was correct, and widespread use of microcomputers in schools didn’t truly begin until the late 1990’s when the affordability of computers became such that the average middle-class American family could afford to own one in their homes. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, along with many other philanthropic organizations are responsible for ensuring that computers were available to many low-income areas of the country, both rural and urban which furthered the use of personal computers even more. In the 1990’s, there were several computer software programs available for educational use, and as a child, I still remember playing “Oregon Trail,” and “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” and being so thrilled at the prospect of having control over my own learning and pace (of course then, I was not aware of that fact). However, the development of the World Wide Web and Internet was picking up speed at a rapid pace, and in a few years exploded onto the scene and has changed the lives of every American.

As the Internet evolved, so did the computer, and in a positive way that allowed more portability and user friendly attributes causing more and more frequent use by everyone, including those in education. Computers provided a type of personal user interaction that was never possible with film, radio, and television. Suddenly with a room full of computers, students took control of their learning and developed a set of skills beyond that of the software program, but began to develop technical skills that came naturally from learning to use a computer and the accompanying software. A new type of curriculum formed and a new teaching profession was born, which is my current profession where instructors teach students to utilize computer applications and learn the hardware technicalities and construction of a computer. Teachers and students became experts and many times, students taught teachers which fostered a sense of collaboration between learners and instructors that has proved to improve student performance in almost any situation.

The development of the computer projector and application software made the personal computer even more relevant and useful in the classroom. Previously, teachers had the ability to find and create materials that would enhance student learning, but there was not a way to share those with the class as a group. With the projector came that ability and opened even more doors to usher the microcomputer and peripherals into the classroom and allowed students to become the masters of these instruments to create their own learning experiences that are tailored to their own learning styles and pace. Since that time, the use of computers in the classroom has exploded, and even the most technologically independent courses, such as history, English, reading and literature have become hosts for new technology products that serve to make these subjects relative to students and their experiences. Cuban was not wrong in his prediction, just a bit under exaggerated in his predictions.

Have the attitudes of teachers towards technology and adoption in the classroom had any kind of impact on student use or utilization?

Cuban addresses throughout his book and leads readers to the conclusion that one of the main reasons for teacher reluctance toward technology in the classroom is the general attitude that these instructors have toward changes in curriculum and teaching methods. There are many different reasons and many different attitudinal projections that teachers exhibit toward technology, however examining those would become a very tedious task both for Cuban and myself. Instead, I think it is very important to examine how negative attitudes toward technology exhibited by the instructor impact their students.

Granted, there is a large population of instructors who keep a professional attitude at almost all times and students are not exposed to personal feelings or emotions. However, a person’s attitude and feelings toward technology are usually relayed through the observation of that person’s technology use. The same principle is directly related to teachers and their feelings toward technology in the classroom. Students are perceptive, especially when they often spend more hours engaged with their teachers than they do their parents in a typical day. Whether or not a teacher “likes” technology is really not the question here, but does this impact students either positively or negatively?

In The Journal of Technology Education, a study was performed that examined the attitudes of students toward technology as a result of instruction methods, and it was found that although teaching methods had no significant change on student attitude. However, it was found that students’ attitudes toward technology usually form somewhere in the late elementary/early middle grades. This article was written in 1996 when students were usually first exposed to technology in the classroom in the middle grades, so I would suggest that since then, students usually form their opinions and attitudes much earlier, since they are exposed to technology in the classroom at a much earlier age than in the mid-90’s. The link to the article is: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/v10n1/boser.html .

Although the research found no significant difference, I would contend that there are many students who would be impacted by their teacher’s feelings toward technology in the classroom, and that may affect them for several years if not longer. Teachers are responsible for opening student minds and allowing them to explore different aspects of their environment and culture to provide them with a foundational knowledge to make them successful throughout their lives’. However, many times teachers unknowingly taint students’ attitudes and feelings toward a number of ideas, beliefs, and even objects. If a teacher is respected and adored by students, a natural reaction for students is to imitate or mirror behavior and attitudes, which is a consequence of teacher attitudes toward technology or any idea for that matter, in the classroom. We must guard our personal feelings at times when we deal with impressionable youth, and even adults to ensure that they have the opportunity to form their own opinions absent of the pre-conceived notions that they may be exposed to prior to making their own judgment.