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Research summary
The Global CommunityOur nostalgic view of the one-room schoolhouse of the past is a far cry from the realities of schools today. Now leaders must deal with the challenges of increasing access to technology, connecting classrooms to the Internet, and the challenges of retrofitting buildings -- all of which involve a new level of complexity in planning, funding, training, and support. Information technologies have had such a tremendous impact on all facets of society that schools must increasingly pay attention. An Internet connection and a Web browser are the only tools needed to enter the new global market, where information is abundant, competition is fierce, and success is often fleeting. The dynamics of information technologies have changed the ways we work, learn, and live (Dede, 1998; U.S. Department of Commerce, 1998; Jones, et. al, 1995; Kozma & Schank, 1998; Lewis, 1999; Panel on Educational Technology, 1997; Rockman, 1998; Thornburg, 1998, 2000). David Thornburg, Director of the Thornburg Center and Senior Fellow of the Congressional Institute for the Future, suggests that the familiar "Three R's" of education be supplemented by a new set of "Three C's." Thornburg (1998) writes that the skills of communication, collaboration, and creative problem solving are all critical in this new information age. But even these Three C's are not enough, for, as Thornburg adds, other equally important skills include technological fluency and the ability to locate and process information. These new demands raise many questions that must be considered as we prepare the citizens of this new economy. Answers to these questions can help shape a shared vision among school personnel and the community at large. The new workforce demands new literacy skills. Changes in the way business is transacted in the information economy directly impact our schools. As barriers to trade fall, the emerging global network demands a workforce prepared to compete in an integrated world economy (Panel on Educational Technology, 1997). New workforce requirements demand new skill sets from the product of our schools -- students.
Many business and education professionals agree that today's work requires greater emphasis on higher-level skills, such as critical thinking and problem solving (CEO Forum, 1999; Jones, et. al, 1995; Panel on Educational Technology, 1997). In addition to these higher-level skills, it is essential to develop the ability to function in collaborative teams (Lewis, 1999; Rockman, 1998; Thornburg, 1998; Wiedmer, 1998), where workers may be required to develop plans, broker consensus, seek and accept criticism, give credit to others, and solicit help (Kozma & Schank, 1998).
The rapid explosion of information also requires workers to develop skills for managing all of this information (Thornburg, 1998). Necessary literacy skills include abilities to search and sort, analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information relevant to a particular task or need. This information must then be applied to generate new data, information, or products (Kozma & Schank, 1998). The shift to electronic commerce requires not only different skills, but also often a more rigorous education in mathematics and science along with other higher-level cognitive reasoning abilities (Dede, 1998; Department of Commerce, 1998).
Effective communication skills have also become key attributes for workers in this economy (Lewis, 1999; Lowe & Vespestad, 1999; Rockman, 1998; Stokes, 2000), as we must create, store, and distribute information through a variety of media and across countless venues. Lewis (1999) comments that as we become familiar with fast and direct feedback we can increasingly use two or more media simultaneously. Information is becoming fragmented, multi-channeled, and simultaneous.
Technology not only generates a need for these information literacy skills, but also supports them. Technology can prepare students for work by helping them develop basic information skills by simulating today's work with real-life examples and reality-based experiences, and by motivating them to learn (Rockman, 1998). The CEO Forum on Education and Technology lists the skills employers most often want in students entering the current workforce:
The demand for new or heightened skills in the work force has direct implications for schools.
A new way of thinking, a new way of teaching. Papert (1993) describes an imaginary journey by two groups of time travelers: surgeons and teachers. If these travelers were to come forward in time from an earlier century, Papert surmises the surgeons would be bewildered by the changes in procedures and equipment. Not so for the teachers, who would have little trouble adjusting to a current classroom, for little has changed in approaches to teaching and learning. Peck and Dorricott (1994) put a different twist on this scenario when they consider the impact of removing all computers from schools and businesses. While many schools would feel little impact, most businesses today would find it nearly impossible to function.
The new demands on schools require rethinking the processes of teaching and learning. The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology is doing just that. In response to developments in information technology, the Office of Educational Technology is revising the national technology goals first presented in 1996. The call for the systemic reform of education to meet the needs of the changing workforce has produced a wealth of discussion and debate (Dede, 1998; Honey & Hawkins, 1999; Honey, Culp, & Carigg, 1999; Jones et. al, 1995; Kozma & Schank, 1998; McClintock, 1995; Miller & Olson, 1995; Thornburg, 2000). In the Report of the Forum on Technology in Education, Levin and Darden (1999) describe camps in the school reform debate as the "reformists" and "incrementalists." The purposes, impacts, and uses of educational technology are viewed differently by these camps, and by others who seek a more middle-ground, hybrid approach.
School leaders must understand how educational technology impacts our stakeholders, whether local or more global in nature. We must be able to create and communicate a vision that synthesizes the needs of diverse groups while fostering continued excellence in teaching and learning within local schools and districts.
Dede (1998) writes that many visions of educational technology place too much emphasis on instructional activities centered on presentation and motivation. He describes this model as "kids continuously working on machines with teachers wandering around coaching the confused" (p. 203). This emphasis on presentation and motivation is not limited to classrooms with technology -- it continues an antiquated model of instruction. The effective integration of new and emerging technologies requires simultaneous innovations in pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, and school organization (Dede, 1998), not just more wires and boxes.
New roles. Systemic reform that promotes innovations requires school leaders, teachers, and students to adopt new roles. Shifts in teaching and learning prompted by the integration of information technologies may cause us to rethink our core beliefs about our roles as educators.
Obviously, the teacher is critical to effective integration of technology in the classroom (Hannafin, 1999, Lewis, 1999). Hannafin describes the reformed role of the teacher in an open-ended learning environment as that of "knowledgeable other" and "scaffold-builder." Lanier (1997) states that teachers must go beyond being masters of subject matter to counsel students as they mature and inspire in them a love of learning. Mirroring the requirements of the new workforce, new roles for teachers de-emphasize the presentation of facts and instead ask teachers to help children learn how to think critically, solve problems, and make informed decisions (Kozma & Schank, 1998; Lanier, 1997).
Administrators, too, play an important role in technology integration. Unfortunately, training for handling the ever-growing complexities of technology integration is often weak or nonexistent. To help classroom teachers interface between students and educational technology, administrators need ongoing training and support in understanding technology management issues, impacts of technology on educational change, and administrative uses of technology (Schoeny, Heaton, & Washington, 1999).
As the curriculum leaders, administrators provide valuable support to teachers (Coley, Cradler, & Engel, 1997; Ritchie, 1996). Ritchie (1996) lists eight variables that impact technology adoption and implementation in classrooms. Of these, a lack of administrative support is identified as the most critical, for without it one or more of the other variables, such as inadequate professional development or lack of funds, is more likely to become a roadblock to effective integration.
Leadership should be a shared endeavor, and school leaders must listen and respond to teachers' concerns about technology integration (Fisher and Dove, 1999). The need for shared decision making and ownership echoes the findings of the seminal Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow longitudinal studies (Dwyer, Ringstaff, & Sandholtz, 1991.) As educators' roles evolve, Lewis (1999) reminds that a focus on the student should be the key to setting the foundation for change.
These many factors will influence your vision, as a school leader, for the integration of technology in your school or district. Gathering and synthesizing data from stakeholders will help to define and articulate that vision to drive decision-making around planning, professional development, support, and assessment of and with technology. Understanding the impacts of technology and the diverse expectations of your school, community, and business audiences are key to realizing this vision.
Having technology is not enough. Using technology to meet the many needs of your stakeholders makes it valuable. As Thornburg (2000) writes, "How you use technology in education is more important than if you use it at all."
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