CRAFTING THE APPLICATION OF TECHNOLOGY

Earl Simendinger, University of Tampa

As advances in technology are hastily introduced into the classroom, crafting the application of that technology may be equally as important as the technology itself. As in basic systems theory, changes to a system, in an attempt to improve it, come with both advantages and disadvantages. Before making a new technology intervention into the classroom, the cost side of the intervention deserves as much critical thinking as perhaps the more obvious benefit side. James Cameron, the director of the new movie, TITANIC, expresses considerable concern about the strength of the technology overwhelming the story. We hold the same concern regarding the application of technology in the classroom - that technology does not overwhelm learning. This paper describes the experience of one teacher over three years searching for the best fit between technology and learning.

Background

The three-year search consisted of two years at The University of Tampa and one year at Central Michigan University. The first year was spent learning about current technologies - both software and hardware - utilized in the classroom. The second year was spent testing some of those technologies in one entire class and in parts of others. The third year, all courses incorporated the most recent technologies available. Four courses incorporated technology to its fullest available extent, while four other courses had intermittent use. Both undergraduate and graduate level courses used technology.

At this point in the search several issues arose, but most fit into four categories. These four categories represent the tip of the iceberg when searching for the best application of technology:

                Application criteria
                Rewards
                Warnings
                Emerging technologies holding promise

What are the criteria that should be used to judge the tangible value of technologies in the classroom? The top ten list offered below evolved over the past three years and continues to change as experience is gained, data is analyzed, and new technologies appear, are employed, and are tested. The list below is currently used to decide the role, if any, of a certain technology in the classroom. Each instructor should develop his or her own criteria to judge the tangible value of each technology intervention in his or her classroom to verify if the new technology produced a value equal to or greater than the cost of the intervention.

The top ten technology application decision criteria currently in use:

          Does it facilitate critical thinking?
          Does it dominate the process?
          Does it facilitate learning?
          What is the cost in terms of: time, dollars, energy, others?
          What does it displace?
          What value is added?
          Does it fit the topic or course?
          Does it fit the culture?
          How do students, professors, and administration perceive it?
          What is the cost if it does not work?

To enable students to have the ability to download slides from a web site required planning, design, implementation, and modification. The planning and design of a web site requires the same thought as any other software package. The first step in this process was to decide on what materials the students would need on this web site. These needs were refined over the past three years during the multiple modifications. The design of the web site and its pages required a top-down design approach.

The attached questionnaire was used to gather specific information on students' perception of different technologies used in their classes. The data are not complete and the process of statically analyzing the information is currently under way. However, a preliminary review of the data from the questionnaires and the course student evaluations data provide valuable information for the interested teachers eager to elevate the use of technology in their classroom. Some of the preliminary results appear in the following two sections.

The effort to successfully employ new technology is considerable. First, one needs to obtain and successfully install the software. Next, if the existing hardware will not support the latest software, one must purchase new hardware that is compatible with the newest programs. Then one must find the time to learn the new technology, design and make the intervention, shape and adjust the intervention to find the best fit, and evaluate the value of the change using the new criteria. Finally, one needs to either accept or reject the technology. Given the effort, the reward for the professor and/or the student needs to be considerable.

The classroom advantages achieved using the current design described above [technology used] prove to be well worth the effort. In one class where the syllabus and content remained the same and the principal design change was the introduction of new technology, student evaluations between the two classes improved 30%.

The following technologies are believed to produce the most significant gains:

• All class lectures were put on PowerPoint colored slides.
• The lecture slides were projected at the front of the classroom.
• A monitor attached to an IBM laptop computer allowed the slides to be viewed without turning one's back to students.
• All PowerPoint slides were provided to students through a course web site where students could download copies before class. This enabled students to better prepare for class, understand the material, and prepare for tests.
• Students having copies of the slides during the class produced more accurate and comprehensive class notes and reduced misunderstandings.
• By having copies of the slides in front of them during the lecture as well as the slides being projected, students were better able to concentrate on the lecture content versus taking notes.
• Having each class utilize PowerPoint slides increased delivery organization and produced greater focus. The increased organization and improved focus produced more time, allowed more content to be reviewed, allowed more interaction time, and produced less sidetracking. Utilizing the PowerPoint software technology enables the course content to be updated more easily.
• Students appreciated the effort of the instructor as well as having the technology.
• Communication between student and teacher was enhanced through e-mail.
• Students were responsible for producing their own copy. This saved instructor's copying time, (waiting for the copier, hassles from the copier, and cost).
• The slide database produced better and fairer test questions.
• The slides helped the course to be more interesting and fun and motivated students interested in learning and using the technology.

The technology modifications made in the courses affected the design, structure and class delivery process significantly. Some were good, but some clearly were not. It was clear early on that the classroom offers an excellent forum for testing what is good in theory but bad in practice. Although overall the gains were greater than the losses, there were some disadvantages that accompanied the technologies that proved in practice to be troublesome and required adjustment. Some of the warnings that produced the greatest concerns were:

• Delivery style may need to change to better fit the new technology.
• Students may see the slides as a substitute for the book, notetaking or class attendance.
• Some technologies produced rigidity in class design that over structured class process and produced a loss in spontaneity.
• Students who chose not to download slides were at a disadvantage.
• Sometimes the instructor's questions posed to the class for interaction purposes were given in later slides.
• The sound and snap-in PowerPoint options for each slide were found to be distracting to students.
• The course became highly dependent on technology; when it didn't work, major problems occurred. As a result, back-up systems needed to be planned, built and provided.
• any students experienced unique start-up technical problems that were outside the expertise of the professor, but students expected the professor to fix them.
• Students less technology-oriented were at a disadvantage.
• All the computer labs in the university need to be checked and set up for the class process.
• Some courses are not suited for high levels of technologies.

Feedback from students is very positive and provides the energy to test and further advance the application. As a result, the search for improvements continues. The first area is to further refine those technologies that seem to be working. The second area is to take a closer look at troubled areas identified on student evaluations and either redesign or eliminate them. Finally, as teachers we need to look for newer, emerging technologies to either replace old ones or to introduce the new ones.

Some other areas that will be investigated include reaching a better fit between teaching style and employed technologies. Sound, snap-in options, animation, and video will be investigated and tested. Establishing a direct interface with the publisher's web site for the course's book will be tested. Students taking tests and having their grades posted on the course web page will be tested and evaluated. Finally, investigating technologies that will allow professors into the classrooms that are off site will be considered.