Interactivity #2

Technology undoubtedly remains a useful resource for teachers and learners. It offers various opportunities to ensure growth in the process of education. However, its integration in school seems not to be accepted without controversy. Concerns rose among divers personalities highlight that opinions vary when it comes to the use of technology in school.  Different perspectives mentioned during its historical evolution confirm this point of view.  Ideas that “knowledge can be transmitted via radio/TV directly to the students as a “blank slate” was even valued at some point.

Looking back into history has enlarged our understanding on technology and its social evolution. Its integration in school has coincided with the development of capitalism where concepts such supplies and demands lead society commerce. Preparing students to be involved in society as consumers has constituted an important motivation to its implementation. This is what mostly generates conflicts among leaders who stress negative and positive influence of technology toward schools. However, its integration in school has revolutionized the mean of learning, at least, conceptually. In 1923, when “the school board had “strongly recommended “Virginia to use radio and films in her teaching “according to the interview, she has seen it as an innovation.  She understood very clearly difference of using only books as primarily source of information and technology as a tool to build student and teacher’s proficiency while working together. She saw “motion as a supplementary and not replacement for teacher “even if the goal at the time was “to boost productivity and efficiency through the use of film”. Again, same concerns or controversies could raise today. As Grandma’s Grace mentioned, “watching films did not necessary help student  learn the subject matter better or faster.”

As it increases teachers ‘organizational skills, technology allows students various possibilities to become autonomous in their learning. Referring to Foreign language students, they benefited tremendously from Technology. Devices such as: film, Video, TV, once introduced in school, have influenced education, especially foreign language students. Due to the emphasis on sound, these devices are predominant in promoting knowledge and increasing practice in this content. The opportunity to imitate sound, to associate social context just by showing them a video, or a film was essential and could be seen as “a plus” in increasing their skills to become more proficient in that language. In 1950, the subsequent influence of the 1939 world’s fair underlined how “scientist and educational technologist pictured technology in school. They “hailed television and teaching as the new panaceas for education” or would “ enable learning to be playful “. In fact, Television with VCR combo was an important piece of technology in the classroom during that frame period.  Later on, in 1951, “educational TV programming minimal recital, short talks, recitation and sketch” could have been used to teach correct lip movement for pronouncing French words - such way to emphasize technology use in a classroom, for example”.

Definitively, integrating technology in school has raised concerns. If today, it is mandated to use in the curriculum as standard, the process has been difficult and required so much. Teachers and leaders must educate students in a way to build strong community for a better future. The need is so crucial that it is not only about using technology in school but “to encourage Social media literacy”. In this 21^st century, the learning environment is quite challenging with constantly change;  technology will continuously be used a tool to empower life with different ways to learn.