During the class, senior Brendan M. attentively listens to a guest speaker, Susan Retik.   Ms. Retik is hundreds of miles away.

     If you're listening to conversations educators have about curriculum and learning, it's hard not to hear the word "technology" quickly and frequently.  A fairly recent example: at the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools fall conference, most of the sessions focused on technologies in the classroom, K-12.

     
      Why is technology so important to teachers and administrators?  Is there something special about this era that separates it from times past?  Are learners different?  Does a different world demand different classrooms?  These are among the important questions that should be asked as we consider new models of education that put a premium on technological innovation.

     
      In my job as our school's academic technology director, I assume a role as promoter of technology use.  And as a long time teacher and counselor, I know that in the past, technologies have held undelivered promises.  Part of my job as now is to help the school decide what technologies command our attention because they will help create better learning.

      
      It probably makes sense to start with a premise, and here's mine: technology should be judged as it serves learning.  I may hear someone say, "Many students love playing online social games using avatars, so we should redesign courses to make the most of this interest.  If Farmville is popular on Facebook, why can't we figure out how to use that popularity in the classroom?"  My response is "What are you trying to accomplish in your classroom?  What are your learning goals?"  If Farmville, or another web-based social game, helps students toward your learning goals, use it.  If it only keeps students engaged because they enjoy the activity, it is misused technology.

      
      For schools, the fact is that the last twenty years have seen an unbelievable growth in technology .  Beginning in the early 1990's with the influx of computers into classrooms, through the rise of educational software development, the unlimited resources of the internet, the creativity enabled by web 2.0 and the mobility and flexibility made possible by laptops, netbooks, tablets and other devices, we have seen incredible change in a couple of decades.  The challenge is not only to make sense of it all, but to make wise use of the possibilities.  

     
      It is my intention in this space to keep you informed of the many ways in which our teachers use technology to further learning.  Let's take one example that I recently observed.  Our Upper School History Department offers an elective, Comparative World Religions.  The class was studying Islam, and in particular, it was considering the debate centering on the location of an Islamic Cultural Center and mosque near the Ground Zero site in downtown Manhattan.  The class had done readings, discussed the issues, and taken a trip to lower Manhattan.  Additionally, the students had seen the film "Beyond Belief" which added a highly personal perspective to the subject. The teacher, Peter Schmidt, was hopeful the students would be able to speak with Susan Retik, a central person in the film.  Distance, and her schedule, made a face to face meeting impossible, but a video chat provided a reasonable alternative.  Students could easily see and hear Ms. Retik, and she was able to give the class a full forty minutes of uninterrupted time.  Class learning was enriched in a way otherwise unobtainable.  It's a fine example of technology in service to learning.

      

From a remote location, Susan Retik discusses her work with the Comparative World Religion class.

     The photo above is of Susan Retik on the monitor while engaged in a video chat.  Look carefully in the upper right hand corner, and you'll see the picture-in-picture of the GSB class.

      
      I'll write more about technology in service to learning in future posts, but feel free to offer your comments now.  

     
      And briefly, on to another topic....the naming of the GSB Intranet.  Using either this Blog site or Survey Monkey, we have about 100 entries.  There's still time to submit.  You can post here or use the online survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SZRSCGG 

      
      Contest closes on January 7, 2011 at noon.

       Finally, a Happy New Year to all readers!