The power lies in giving students some control

When it comes to technology in California's schools, the primary use by teachers is e-mail – especially to communicate between school and home, according to a survey conducted by the California Department of Education. For students, the primary uses tend to be word processing and Internet research.

There's nothing wrong with these uses. But some computer-savvy teachers consider it the equivalent of buying a new car just so you can listen to the radio.

Most researchers believe that technology is most powerful when used as a tool for problem solving, conceptual development and critical thinking. This "involves students using technology to gather, organize and analyze information, and using this information to solve problems. In this manner, the technology is used as a tool, and teachers and students (not the technology) control the curriculum and instruction," say reseachers at WestEd.

Technology is also most effective when there is advance planning, strong teacher buy-in and no more than five students per computer. It is also more effective when instruction takes place in a classroom on a regular basis rather than once or twice a week in a computer lab. According to a WestEd study, "The Learning Return on Our Educational Technology Investment," students who had "access to computers in their classrooms showed more improvement in basic skills than those who received instruction in computer labs."

Unfortunately, in some cases, the gee-whiz aspects of technology can overshadow curriculum, presenting a "flash over substance" phenomenon, notes a study titled "The Technology/Content Dilemma" by the now-defunct Institute for Research on Learning. "Over and over, we see that academic content is allowed to slide initially in a technology-infused subject, as students spend their time exploring software capacity for special effects and animation."

Pam De Carli, a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher at Corvallis Elementary School in San Lorenzo, believes the most effective use of technology involves changing the traditional teaching style in which teachers always stand in front of the class dispensing knowledge and students are expected to passively absorb the information. When students are in the "driver's seat," says De Carli, they become empowered and self-focused.

"If you want to use technology to teach in a powerful way, teachers need to believe that students are capable of constructing their own knowledge," says Cathy Ringstaff, a senior research associate who worked on the WestEd report. "Teachers don't always have to be the experts, standing in front of the class providing information."

"It can be frightening," she acknowledges. "It's a very difficult transition to make, because you have to give up some control to the students."

It's best to maintain a "fine balance" between student-centered and teacher-centered learning. "In some cases, it's best to have children using computers to research information, organize presentations and do critical thinking under the guidance of a teacher. In other cases, it's best for the teacher to impart information to the children."

"Technology is never going to replace teachers," she adds. "Technology is powerful, but not as powerful as a good teacher."

While schools have done a decent job of wiring schools to the Internet, many educators say they have not done a good job of teaching teachers to use technology in the classroom. Schools have focused too much attention on hardware and software issues, ignoring the need for teachers to learn how to integrate technology with classroom curriculum.

Last year a 10-computer lab was hooked up at Happy Valley Primary School in Anderson (Shasta County), but no class has ever used the lab for instructional purposes.

Because of tremendous pressure to increase test scores at the Title I school that didn't meet its growth target, there is little time or interest in professional development courses that would help teachers utilize the facility.

"I don't think there's a lack of desire," says Kellie Dunham, a member of the Happy Valley Teachers Association. "But it hasn't risen to a priority level where a lot of time can be invested."

"With proper staff development, the lab might be used," she says. "But I don't think that will be rectified soon."

There is also a fear factor involved, she says. "Some teachers haven't done much with computers in their personal lives and worry that they might hit the wrong key. They don't feel confident teaching children on computers."

They're not alone. A 1999 study by Market Data Retrieval showed that 61 percent of all teachers felt either "not at all prepared" or only "somewhat prepared" to integrate technology into classroom instruction.

According to a 1999 study (Statham and Torell), 80 percent of districts spend less than 10 percent of their technology budget on training. That translates, on average, to 21 hours of technology training for teachers.

In addition to not having enough time, the training in itself may be insufficient, according to the WestEd study. It says the focus of training is often on "fundamental computer operation rather than preparation on how to use technology as a teaching tool and how to integrate it into the curriculum." Teachers who want to hone their technology skills usually do so on their own time.

Technology competency is now a requirement for new teachers. For nearly a decade, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) has had technology standards in place for credential candidates. The standards were revised in 1998 and require that credential candidates demonstrate their effective use of technology at a "basic" level prior to the issuance of a preliminary credential, and then demonstrate their effective use of technology at an "advanced level prior to issuance of a professional clear credential." Colleges and universities with CCTC-accredited programs for the preparation of multiple or single subject teaching credentials are required to prepare credential candidates to meet this new technology standard.

It's too soon to tell how well new teachers are prepared to teach with technology, says Beth Graybill, interim director of the CCTC's Professional Services Division. Those who have benefited from the new standards have just entered the teaching profession.

For veteran teachers, learning how to integrate technology and curriculum may not be adequately addressed. Because school districts often hire representatives from the companies that sold them the equipment to train teachers, the emphasis is more likely to be on learning how to operate programs than on how to use the programs for teaching.

Effective staff development for technology should include "opportunities to explore, reflect, collaborate with peers, work on authentic learning tasks and engage in hands-on active learning," concludes the WestEd study.

"If teachers want to use technology in a powerful way, they have to be trained how to do that," says Ringstaff. "Anyone can stick a kid in front of a computer with a drill-and-kill application and say, 'Go to it.' But that is hardly tapping into the power of technology."