Technology Rocks… Unless it Doesn’t

The last discussion of the summer may have been one of the best. I think we can all agree that adding technology to the classroom is a great way to foster student interest in the content. That may be the end of the agreement, however. Questions like, “what’s the best way to deliver experience with technology to students: in content classrooms or in tech classes like 504?” and “at what point does technology overshadow content?” are certainly conflicting ones. The former is certainly tough to answer, though mostly likely a good answer would be a combination of both. But since this seems to be a policy issue I don’t feel like researching now, I’ll skip it and ask for your comments.

The second question is one we talked about more thoroughly and also one I have thought about in the past regarding physics labs. When computers and other electronic measuring devices became affordable in the 90s, there was a justifiable push to integrate these devises in college physics labs. At the time, the rewards out weighed the risks. Students could learn physics and learn to use more sophisticated tools. In many cases, the new devises provided a more streamlined learning environment for both students and instructors. Learn physics and learn how to use Excel! Computers in the lab! Yeaaaahhhhh! It certainly couldn’t hurt, right?

These days, I’m not so sure. Today, probably 99% of college freshmen know more about computers than the instructors. Computers, Excel, digital data recorders and the like are not that engaging to 21st century students because they've used them before. So labs, which are by nature interactive sessions for students, have become more a passive experience due to the saturation of technology in the lab. Today, this type of technology does not engage students. It also does not create a more interactive learning environment. So, why use it? At this point, in this specific context (21st century college physics labs) technology seems to hinder content learning by taking students one or more steps away from the tactile and engaging experience these labs already furnish.

I hope its clear that I’m not pursuing the opinion that tech == OMG bad!!! for all classrooms and all physics classes. Certainly not. What I’m trying to express is essentially what Jeff said the last day of class: that technology for it’s own sake is not the goal. More specifically, instructors should have a purpose for implementing technology in the classroom and be conscious about the context in which one implements the technology. If you want to introduce students to the type of work they will do in the future, be sure it’s something they haven’t used before. If you want use technology just to create a more interactive environment, maybe physics labs aren’t the place to do it.