United States - - TECHNOLOGY ISN'T ENOUGH

TECHNOLOGY & ITS LIKENESS

Perhaps you heard the recent news reports citing the United States national educational rankings in reading, mathematics and science.  According to PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) reports, the United States is either declining or demonstrating stagnate to minimal growth in literacy, mathematics and science compare to its counterparts worldwide.  Even countries such as Vietnam with widespread poverty and consider to be underdeveloped has caught up with the US students academic performance in the domains of reading, mathematics and science.  These reports are important for at best in terms of technology and innovation, it begs the question: How is technology in schools being implemented and utilized to enhance teaching and learning?  With an outpouring of emerging technology- too many to be counted - how will these new forms of technology be used to improve the quality of learning for students?  Yes, technology is changing, but somehow our schools are in may ways remaining unchanged in terms of academic outcomes.  It's difficult for even skeptics to overlook the PISA report.  Regardless of the perspective lens one chooses to impose on the PISA outcomes, it forces educational leaders to rethink the role of educational reform and the role technology will and should play in such reforms.

UNITED STATES SCHOOLS vs OTHER COUNTRIES

PISA Report


The PISA outcomes shed meaningful light on just how has technology or its likeness has enhanced the performance of US students.  Will more technology make schools better?  As an educational leader in compulsory education (K-12), in order to tackle the changing trends in technology, one has to consider just what impact will these changes have on schools and the delivery of quality EDUCATION for all students.  While schools have provided students with access to computers and the web, many are losing grounds with teaching students how to apply technological tools to improve higher level thinking and reasoning skills.  In his presentation, NExTWORK, Keven Kelly stated that today, Access is better than Ownership.  In terms of schools, we have made access to computers convenient for many students, but this convenience hasn't necessarily transferred to increased performed on high stakes testing or even increased academic knowledge.

For many high school curriculum programs, keyboarding was a general requirement for students. Today, keyboarding skills is all but obsolete in many school's course selections.  Have you witnessed a student typing on a computer?  Perhaps you see a lack of knowledge for corresponding row key fingers or the one finger action at play.  We have technology, but are we teaching students how to apply it? Students are familiar with the internet and search engines, but is unfamiliar with how to use basic programs such as Microsoft Work; Microsoft Publisher and even PowerPoint.  

For many students, technology equates to the internet and social media. Perkins' (2013) slide presentation on internet trends indicate that Facebook is the number one choice for social media, followed by uTube.  We know our students are using technology, but how do schools help students use technology in ways that will synthesize their knowledge.  School leaders must do a better job with creating standards that ensure that students are learning more that how to goggle and conduct research.  We have to do a better job with helping our students use technology in ways that augment applying higher thinking skills and solving real world problems.  Insomuch, the US has more of a skill shortage than a job shortage.  Schools have to teach students how to use technology to make a living and prepare for job opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.  

When I view the list of changing technology in energy, I see promise for schools in the US.  However, this may require school reform on how technology is currently taught and used in schools. Additionally, we cannot overlook the issue of how will these changing technology become accessible to disadvantaged students across the US.  Staying abreast of technology and adapting to those changes requires more than curiosity or being an informed leader.  I believe it should require a certain level of dedication to making technology accessible to all students.  For me, an aspect of the changing trends in technology should focus on equal access and equivalent technology standards in schools for all American students.  At least, this is the role I hope to play in the changing trends of technology in the future.  My dissertation is designed in part to change how we look at the use of technology and the internet, and to help students understanding how to apply technology to solve real world problems.  I believe my dissertation topic, Investigating a Paradigm for Capturing Innovation among High School Youth:  Constructing and Examining a Technological Tool, will assist with keeping me abreast of the trends in changing technology for the future.  Just how this will be used to better the educational experience of students ... well let's say that is..TO  BE Continued.

We have to acknowledge that no one person has the answer to how to increase our students' interested in changing technology other than those associated with social media and the internet.  Yet, I believe that with diverse voices at the table we can achieve resolve much quicker than with similar voices singing a similar tune.  Whether we like it or not, changing technology has to deal with broadening opportunities for all students in the US.  I believe this is the question that leaders need to address.

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Where...

CHANGING TECHNOLOGY MEANS EQUAL ACCESS/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

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