Quote from Richard Clark
"Media are merely vehicles that deliver instruction but do not influence student achievement any more than the truck that delivers our groceries causes changes in our nutrition" (Clark, 1983).
It is my interpretation that Clark believes technology to be only a means to an end. Therefore technology, for Clark, is just a tool used to learn content knowledge and not something that could affect any other facet of the learning process. I would agree that technology can be a vehicle for learning, but I disagree with the remainder of his quote. Technology itself is a major part of life and something in which all people should be both familiar with and fluent in its application. Our future students will need to know how to use technology in order to conduct research, communicate their thoughts, and learn from a worldwide community. Furthermore, I think that technology can bolster student achievement in that the student can learn about various topics from all angles and apply that knowledge in their work with technology. Students can see the "big picture" easier when technology is woven into the fabric of the concepts they are learning. In conclusion, I think that Clark would seriously revise his quote if he were to analyze the current state of technology in 2010, which is much more prevalent in our classrooms now, than it was in 1983.
I completely agree with you Sara. I think that HOW we choose to teach is just as important as "what" we choose to teach. Choosing to use technology (the how) can really help open students up to a variety of new technologies as well as help them recognize more uses for the technologies that they already know how to use.
ReplyDelete