Educational Technology Articles, Updates and Opinions

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EDUC190 Computers in Education

Volume 1, Issue 1-Educ190: C August 2011

The Big Q
It has been years since the invention of computers. Since then, the development of computer technology and others for that matter had been unstoppable. Nowadays, people cannot imagine how to live without these innovations; some even utilize these for source of income. No matter how you view technology, it is safe to say that technology has played a vital role in our everyday social, professional, and educational lives. As a future educator myself, I am aware of the realities between children and computer/laptop and the internet. It is not surprising anymore to see a seven-year-old child playing, not on the streets but inside the comforts of internet shops or their homes. These children had been exposed to technology at a very young age and because of the enjoyment it brings to them, their interest over school have been severely affected. One solution to this problem is integrating technology into the classrooms. The question now is, when, where and how would a teacher utilize technology into his/her lessons? There are many books, articles, and papers on how to integrate technology into the field of education. The more important element is when and where. In order for a bulletproof integration to work, there must be equilibrium between utilizing technology and doing traditional lectures. (continued on page 2)

Disadvantage of technology: Researches say the internet makes people dumber

The internet may be the best invention ever created. Within seconds and just one click, you will be flooded with information. There is indeed no traffic in the information highway, if the internet (given a fast, stable connection) is concerned. With the availability of information available, ideally, there should be more informed, smart people. However, a group of researchers says the internet has made people less thoughtful and more forgetful, in other words dumber. According to a new study published in Manila Bulletins Technews, technology has changed how people retain information. Researchers conducted numerous experiments on college students to test their theory. In one experiment, the students were asked to encode different sets of statements. The first group of students (Group A) were told that their encoded statements would be saved in the computers hard disk, while the other half (Group B) were told that their encoded statements would be erased. Moreover, half of the students in each group (both Group A and B) were explicitly told to remember the statements they encoded while the remaining half were not. Surprisingly, students who were told that the statements they typed would be erased were better at recalling the statements they encoded than those who were told that their encoded statements would be saved. (Continued on page 3)

Inside this issue: The Big Q 1-2

Disadvantage of Technology

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Text2teach program of 2-3 DepEd: boon or bane? About the Author 3

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Techie News

... The Big Q

If teachers will stick to the traditional way, some students may lose interest. However, teachers could not just leave technology to do their jobs, otherwise students may be left dumb founded, or the concepts may be left half baked. The equilibrium, thus, is an important aspect in integrating technology into classrooms. Despite the numerous advantages, there are also drawbacks in using technology. These drawbacks provide opportunities in including traditional lectures alongside the presence of technology. For example, the subject Science contains many concepts that are more of abstract to students. The case in point is the concept of photosynthesis. Traditional lecture may include verbal explanation of the concept and if available, still pictures and demonstration of the concept. This kind of approach in explaining the concept may still be vague for some students. This is where technology comes into the picture. The teacher may use videos to show the students the process, which in turn may be more helpful in their comp r e h e n s ion of the concept. However, after the showing of the video clip, the teacher must still explain some key points in order to give emphasis and to ensure students comprehension of the concept. Moreover, the teacher can immediately answer all students queries in case of the appearance of some confusion, whereas the video clips cannot. This is one of the major drawbacks of technology, more often than not, it lacks interactivity (in case of video clips, audio, etc.). Now the bigger problem is, and always is, funds. There are many opportunities in bringing technology into the learning process, one of the hindrances is, public schools lacking the right amount of funds in order to support this endeavor. On the other hand, the government is trying its best in providing and supporting educational technology into classrooms. Little by little, with continuous support, maybe the Philippines will be at par with other welldeveloped countries in terms of fully utilizing technology for educational purposes.

Text2Teach Program of DepEd: Boon or bane?

Two year ago, under the leadership of then undersecretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) Jesli Lapus, marked the launch of the Text2Teach technology in relation to the departments project called ICT4E (Information, Communication, Technology for Education). The project includes giving public school teachers cellphones preloaded with educational videos that they can utilize in their lessons. The teacher plugs the phone into a Television (which is also given by DepEd) and lets the class watch the videos in order to promote a more simulating learning environment. The text2teach program has been used in some of the public schools in the country. So, is text2teach program of DepEd boon or bane? Well, it depends, here are some points to keep in mind in making that decision. From the very name itself, text2teach and relating it to what the technology actually does is a bit confusing. I honestly thought that the program will integrate the famous fad among students, which is the cellphone and texting messages, with the teachers lesson for the day. (Continued on page 3)

Volume 1, Issue 1-Educ190: C omputers in Education

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Disadvantage of technology. . .
Another experiment involved again, having students encode statements. This time, some students were told that their document file will be saved in a specific folder on the computer. After some tests, researchers found out that the students were much better at memorizing the location (or the folder) of their document file than actually having remembered the statements, they have encoded. The implications of the results of the experiments clearly states that people have become abusively reliant on technology. People have been so certain about the availability of information in the internet and our computers that they dont bother to keep in mind some of these vital information. Technology, instead of becoming a tool for excellence, has become a tool for laziness and procrastination. Come to think of it, would it be better if we lessen the availability of information posted online? This would oblige students to dig deeper, use more sources in conducting researches and writing term papers, thus promoting a more extensive approach that students can use. One of the most universal, though unattractive quality of human beings is that we often take something for granted. People has become so used with the ease technology brings, that they become confident that it will always be there. But its not, documents could be erased, websites could be shutdown, internet access can be cut off (if youre actually paying your bills), but a mind stored with information never fails (unless of course you have Alzheimers) The ironic thing here is, one of the main reasons why technology was invented, which is to make life easier, has become one of the drawbacks that make other people wish it was not invented at all.
Reference: Some evidence suggest that the internet changes how we remember. Technews, Manila Bulletin 01 August 2011: D5. Print.

One of the most universal, though unattractive quality of human beings is that we often take something for granted.

The Author: Lea Lopez

The Author is a 3rd year student at the University of the Philippines Diliman. She is taking up Bachelor of Elementary Education Communication Arts English.

Text2Teach Program of DepEd: Boon or bane?

The way I see it, the phone in the text2teach program serves as a smaller and lighter version of Educational tapes and/or CDs. The storage of video clips is not the primary function of a cellphone, and so if they were determined to execute this project, they should have just changed the title. Moreover, the preloaded educational videos are limited to Math, Science and English subjects only. Though understandable since the project is just starting, this limitation hinders a complete utilization of the text2teach technology. On the other hand, this new technology is a step-up from the previous projects of DepEd. Though there are limitations of the text2teach program, I appreciate the effort exerted by the department in integrating technology into public schools. Especially because some students from public schools are the very much technology deprived due to socio-economic status, and text2teach somehow bridges the digital divide gap. Lets just hope that this program will be implement to every public school in the country, and that the government would support this all throughout so that the program would not be put to waste.

Reference: Tubeza, Philip. Teachers now using Text2Teach technology Philippine Daily Inquirer 19 March 2009. www.inquirer.net. Web. 31 July 2011