UTS Digital Generation – Danny Mavromatis

Todd Oppenheimer is the author of a book “The Flickering Mind: The False Promise of Technology in the Classroom and How Learning Can Be Saved“.

He participated in an interview with an on-line education site in which he was asked to put his views on the use of technology within schools. I have to confess that I found myself nodding as I read each of his responses. My favourite quote:

“There is no greater hoax in this story than the rush to put young children on computers in the belief that it will prepare them for tomorrow’s jobs. It won’t — in fact, doing so may well put them at a professional disadvantage.”

He does concede however that technology (computers) has a place as a supplement to the teaching of many subjects, but not as a replacement for traditional studies.

“Some of the best software offers great tools (again with older students) for expanding understanding of sophisticated mathematical procedures such as scientific modeling. And obviously, the Internet offers valuable resources for research projects.”

Hey, someone had to be an antidote to Prensky!

By Dr Geoff Romeo

This article is the text of a keynote address made in Adelaide in 2004. It starts with describing how, in Victoria, there was early adoption of computers in education. However, the forward impetus seems to have now stalled and the author is making a case that a renewed effort needs to be made in this area.

He then summarises the current state of play about effective teaching and effective learning and how our knowledge about the brain, thinking and memory has increased dramatically in recent years.

The bulk of the article is devoted to two vignettes, painting two possible pictures of how technology could be used in secondary schools in the future. Whilst both scenarios he describes are clearly and deliberately exaggerated, they serve well to make points about two different directions that technology use could be incorporated into schools and the classroom.

I have to say that, in a perfect world, we would all like our children to be students of Plainville High (and be as interested in learning as Jessica and Kimberley). Yes, the scenario is highly idealistic. However, I am convinced that at least some aspects of the technology that is depicted will eventually find their way into secondary schools. One example is the type of research that the two students have accomplished over the internet such as finding links to original documents, maps and paintings. That kind of research ability is almost with us today. The major limitation is speed but that should improve rapidly over coming years.

All in all a very entertaining and informative article!

“Teens and Technology” is a talk given by the author relating to what he terms the Millennials, the generation born between 1982 and 2000. I found the information presented interesting, but as the father of a teenage boy born in 1995, there was very little that came as a huge surprise to me.

The speech was delivered in the US and the statistics he quotes are based on American research. Nevertheless most of what he says very much has relevance to Australian society as well.

I did note a couple of contradictions in his arguments though. At one point he states:

“Millennials are on track to become the best-educated and best-behaved adults in the nation’s history. They live with rules and believe in them.”

At another point he is discussing their indifference to copyright issues:

“55% say they do not care much wither[sic] what they download is copyrighted or not”

He also mentions that the Millennials are sheltered (eg. metal detectors in schools). Why would they need such measures if their generation was so-well behaved? I think the author has made a few too many such sweeping generalisations without presenting evidence. It is true that we are living in a fairly conservative period of the western world. However, personally I don’t believe the current generation is significantly different to any other (except maybe the hippie culture of the 60’s) in terms of rebel behaviour by a minority.