global perspectives on educational technology: trends and issues

4
This article was downloaded by: [Washington State University Libraries ] On: 24 October 2014, At: 23:37 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Childhood Education Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uced20 Global Perspectives on Educational Technology: Trends and Issues Sudha Swaminathan a & Nicola Yelland b a Department of Education , Eastern Connecticut State University , Willimantic , CT , USA b Department of Early Childhood , RMIT, Victoria , Australia Published online: 04 Sep 2012. To cite this article: Sudha Swaminathan & Nicola Yelland (2003) Global Perspectives on Educational Technology: Trends and Issues, Childhood Education, 79:5, 258-260, DOI: 10.1080/00094056.2003.10521209 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00094056.2003.10521209 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http:// www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

Upload: nicola

Post on 22-Feb-2017

212 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Global Perspectives on Educational Technology: Trends and Issues

This article was downloaded by: [Washington State University Libraries ]On: 24 October 2014, At: 23:37Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: MortimerHouse, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Childhood EducationPublication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uced20

Global Perspectives on Educational Technology:Trends and IssuesSudha Swaminathan a & Nicola Yelland ba Department of Education , Eastern Connecticut State University , Willimantic ,CT , USAb Department of Early Childhood , RMIT, Victoria , AustraliaPublished online: 04 Sep 2012.

To cite this article: Sudha Swaminathan & Nicola Yelland (2003) Global Perspectives on Educational Technology:Trends and Issues, Childhood Education, 79:5, 258-260, DOI: 10.1080/00094056.2003.10521209

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00094056.2003.10521209

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”)contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensorsmake no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitabilityfor any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinionsand views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy ofthe Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources ofinformation. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands,costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly orindirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial orsystematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution inany form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

Page 2: Global Perspectives on Educational Technology: Trends and Issues

Global perspectives on lducational Cechnology

Trends and Issues

G he availability of new technologies is increasing and changing the ways in which we communicate with others, interact with ideas to increase our knowledge base, and entertain our- selves. Schools, faced with the challenge of pre- paring students for life in a changing society, need to provide opportunities for children to incorpo- rate new technologies as a natural part of their play and learning.

As guest editors, we invited colleagues around the world to describe some of the ways in which new technologies are being used in their class- rooms and to outline some of the debates and controversies surrounding their use. While each country examined here remained unique in its cultural flavor, several similarities in terms of concerns and promises can be discerned across all the articles.

Government Mandates and National Curri c d a r s tan d a d s Perusing these articles, it is immediately apparent that governments across the globe view educa-

tional technology as a vehicle for bolstering their country’s stature. Several of the authors comment on the fact that until the late 1990s, technology was not specifically included in the national curricular framework. In the last few years, however, the Finnish and Swedish governments have started educational initiatives with the intention of en- hancing their respective country’s international competitiveness. This goal also is distinctly re- flected in the Indian government’s education man- date, the English National Curriculum Framework, and Hong Kong’s initiative to include technology as a separate KLA (Key Learning Area). Singapore’s Masterplan for IT (Information Tech- nology) is viewed specifically as a strategy to achieve their national educational goals. An im- portant caveat related to these efforts concerns the importance of teacher competence and prepared- ness with new technologies in determining the effectiveness of the new programs.

Teacher Education Also uniformly apparent across the spectrum of

258 + CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Was

hing

ton

Stat

e U

nive

rsity

Lib

rari

es ]

at 2

3:37

24

Oct

ober

201

4

Page 3: Global Perspectives on Educational Technology: Trends and Issues

articles is a finding that appropriate teacher training has not accompanied the rapid immersion of technology into classrooms. Consequently, we see the dire need, as expressed here by Liz Brooker, to pay greater attention to the efforts of DATEC in Europe. Sheridan and Samuelsson bring up another im- portant consideration: the pedagogi- cal belief systems of many veteran teachers, who still view educational technology with skepticism. Kilderry, Yelland, Lazaridis, and Dragicevic poignantly capture the resultant ten- sion. Teachers are teaching the old curriculum in traditional ways, when what is needed is a reconceptualization of both content and pedagogy.

Schools, faced with the

challenge of preparing

students for life in a changing

society, need to provide

opportunities for children to

incorporate new technologies

as a Curricular Integration: Add-on or Catalyst? The wide range of classroom applica- tions seen here extend from basic drill- and-practice exercises to more technologically creative practices such as digital storybooks (SeokHoon), teleconferencing (Szente), computer simulations (Kankaanranta and Kangassalo), and artistic inquiry endeavors (Kilderry, Yelland, Lazaridis, and Dragicevic). These latter initiatives focus on new pedagogical practices that incorporate new technologies along- side other materials; thus, children may investi- gate a variety of problems, generated by themselves or by their teachers. This approach is in contrast to many state-mandated curricula, which, when technology is even mentioned, in- corporate educational technology as an add-on rather than as a catalyst for new thinking about teaching and learning. It is encouraging to note that the global preference strongly favors a high quality of integration, as exemplified by children being critical inquirers and learning through tech- nology rather than about or simply with it (Brooker; Sheridan and Samuelsson).

natural part of their play

and learning.

Selection and Use of IT Tools Increasingly, there is a realization that technologi- cal environments provide rich opportunities for play, and that information and communication technologies engage children with learning in new and dynamic ways. Ngan, Lee, and Koo delineate interactivity as an important criterion for deciding on the validity of IT tools, whether it is specific software or a high-tech tool. In Finland, however, the most extensive use of IT is for word processing, sending E-mail, and playing games (among other things). Thirumurthy and Sundaram voice the concerns of Indian teachers who have difficulty locating appropriate software.

Equity and Accessibility It is also important to consider issues of equity, access, and the impact of new technologies on shap- ing the cultural experiences of young children. Singapore, with its tightly knit community, offers

ANNUAL THEME 2003 @ 259

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Was

hing

ton

Stat

e U

nive

rsity

Lib

rari

es ]

at 2

3:37

24

Oct

ober

201

4

Page 4: Global Perspectives on Educational Technology: Trends and Issues

an example of an ideal situation. On the opposite end of the spectrum are the disparities in avail- ability and quality among the different SES groups inIndia, as highlighted by Thirumurthy and Sunda- ram. A related concern is the inequity in availabil- ity of ITresources for the primary grades. Funding is certainly an issue in eradicating these inequi- ties; however, we also must confront the powerful influence of pedagogical skepticism. Surprisingly, culture is not mentioned by any of the articles as an attribute of inequity in access or stereotypical use. In fact, Thirumurthy and Sundaram offer an inter- esting perspective on the support for technologi- cal pursuits offered by India’s cultural heritage.

The Home Environment When using technologies, it is apparent that we need to consider the home experiences of chil- dren and build on these within the classroom. Increasingly, children have access to computers at home; therefore, most of children’s inventive free explorations probably happen within the home environment (Kankaanranta and Kangassalo). Thirumurthy and Sundaram high- light the parental support and active encour- agement for technological pursuits offered to some Indian children.

Assessment of Outcomes In the current education climate, in which educa- tion is considered a cost rather than an invest- ment, we are faced with increased challenges to account for outcomes that are basically measured in tests of skill and knowledge achievement. Those valued activities that promote active exploration, inquiry, and problem solving in collaborative con- texts, and that encourage language use and the negotiation of ideas, have been relegated to the sidelines because their benefits are not easily tested in the short term. Governments across the world want studies to illustrate improvements in test scores as a result of significant spending on com- puter technology in schools, yet the tests them- selves focus on a small range of basic skills in

literacy and numeracy and, sometimes, science. This attitude is antithetical to what most educators want: a more holistic and rich educational expe- rience for their children. It is in this climate that many state boards of education across the globe have found a rationale for reducing funds for education, especially in light of the global eco- nomic downturn. In addition, they have sug- gested a return to the basics, out of fear that standards have fallen compared to what they used to be in pre-technological eras. A small number of initiatives (Kilderry, Yelland, Lazaridis, and Dragicevic; Sheridan and Samuelsson) have her- alded a new era of educational opportunities for small populations of students. These students are fortunate enough to participate in rich educa- tional environments, as well as the more tradi- tional teaching and learning methods that can be measured in standardized tests. Liz Brooker of- fers an alternative assessment model that is based on authentic forms of observation, and that cap- tures the social and cognitive learning that can occur during interaction with IT.

Rethinking Traditional Pedagogy New initiatives have had as their foundation the belief that teaching and learning in the 21st cen- tury needs a fresh impetus that encapsulates new learning with new pedagogies and new technolo- gies. These initiatives are not contexts for adding more to an already crowded curriculum, but rather are a reconceptualization of curriculum and pedagogies for the information age.

The articles should stimulate our thinking about early childhood education and the ways in which we provide engaging contexts for learning. They have important ramifications for the content of our teacher education programs, in which we seem to have wasted a decade through inactivity and through which we have not seized opportunities to integrate the use of new technologies in our work. The articles in this issue explore such topics, and enable us to rethink our goals for enriching the lives of young children in new and dynamic ways.

260 d CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Was

hing

ton

Stat

e U

nive

rsity

Lib

rari

es ]

at 2

3:37

24

Oct

ober

201

4