EDtech Trends technology into education by highlighting the inherently transformational nature of the tool . He confidently asserted , “ Books will soon be obsolete in schools ; our school system will be completely changed inside of ten years !” Ten years passed . Books didn ’ t become obsolete . Schools didn ’ t change . The promising new technology had minimal impact on student achievement .
Does that story sound familiar ?
As a nation , we would all benefit by learning more about and sharing trans formational and transcendent technol ogy use in schools .
It should . It should also serve as a cautionary tale , but not a modern one . The year ? 1913 . The pioneering designer ? Thomas Alva Edison . The transformational technology ? Motion pictures .
This anecdote illustrates a number of issues regarding the selling and marketing of technology tools in education , but one in particular should be taken as paramount : exploding the myth of technological determinism . Technological determinism is a kind of theoretical mindset which suggests that simply putting digital tools into educational settings will automatically transform what happens in those settings . It ’ s reflective of the movie Field of Dreams in which Kevin Costner ’ s character hears a disembodied voice imploring him , “ If you build it , they will come ,” The only difference is that the disembodied voice of technological determinism says , “ If they [ your education customers ] buy it [ technology ], transformation will come .” The reality , for the last century , has fallen far short of that myth .
I ’ m an educational futurist and so my work focuses on harnessing the immense potential of digital tools to enhance what transpires in teaching and learning environments . At this risk of sounding like a heretic , I have to make a statement about technology in an educational context : Digital educational technologies have no inherent value in and of themselves . Zero . They are inert . They don ’ t do anything by themselves . But I also have to add a qualifier : The value of digital technologies in education is made manifest not by their presence , but by the manner in which they are used .
That should sound reasonable to you , or even self-evident . The trickier part is understanding how to reliably use technology tools to enhance instructional quality and learning productivity .
I ’ ve been studying the impact of digital tools in education for 34 years . That ’ s a long time to observe the phenomenon of digital disruptions in the realm of teaching and learning . I ’ ve taken a serious look at the impact of digital tools in education and have seen distinct patterns emerge over time — patterns which I ’ ve tested with the tools of the researcher : inquiry design , observation , data collection , analysis , interpretation , and synthesis . One common pattern I ’ ve witnessed for the last four decades is called the “ novelty effect .”
I first saw evidence of the novelty effect in 1984 while studying the impact on student engagement of the Apple IIe and a software program called “ The Oregon Trail .” The sample was a group of inner city middle school students in Camden , New Jersey . At first , students ’ engagement levels were very high as they learned to interact with the computer program , and each other , to make decisions , plan ahead , and respond to the consequences of their decisions . Then something strange happened — or not so strange , really , if you ’ ve ever spent any time around middle school students — they got bored … and then disruptive . Quickly . The level of engagement dropped like a wagon train careening off a cliff . There are only so many times one can die from a snake bite or drown in the Blue River before one ’ s attention starts to strain .
Unfortunately , when it comes to digital tools for schools , education has been on a novelty effect roller coaster . Student engagement goes up at first , and then almost always comes back down as the novelty of the tool wears off . One new technology tool after another has been purchased based on the digital promise of increasing student engagement — which may indeed occur in the short run . But in time that high level of engagement will almost always drop off .
Here ’ s one implication of the novelty effect : If your sales and marketing messaging to schools only focuses on the attributes of your product and how it will increase student engagement , then over time you run the risk of losing the trust of your customers . However , if you focus on presenting the technology tools you are selling in a manner that is reflective of high impact use of your tool , then over time you will earn the reputation as a trusted advisor . So , how can you know what is
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