EDC&I 510 History of Educational Technology

1. EDC&I 510History of Educational Technology Steve Kerr Wednesday, 4:30-6:50 pm 215 Miller Hall

2. Educational TechnologyWhat Kind of History? EDC&I 510 28 Sept 2011

3. Definition? Technology is… • “cool gadgets and stuff” • Popular usage • “…the scientific study of the practical or industrial arts” (Here, “education” = a “practical art”?) • Oxford English Dictionary, sense 1.a • “the application of scientific knowledge to the practical aims of human life” • Encyclopedia Britannica

4. Possible Approaches-WHAT to Consider • Devices • Film projector, computer, chalkboard • Symbol systems • Writing, number systems, musical notation • Theoretically based methods • Skinnerian programmed instruction, Ausubel lecture method • Production systems • Textbook writing and editing

5. Possible Approaches-HOW to Consider It • Devices and their perfection over time • Heritage of ideas • Behaviorism • Cognitive psychology/learning sciences • Critical theory • Social anthropology and contexts of use in particular settings • Policy development and implementation

6. The “original technology” for education? Complexity and expensive production limited access “Discipline” of copying as a “moral good” Mediaeval scriptorium DEVICESBooks (manuscript and printed)

7. Early aid to basic literacy Horn layer = “student-proof technology” Reusable, simple production 17th century hornbook DEVICES The Hornbook

8. New England Primer (from mid-17th c.) Picture-verse combinations aid memory Common cultural experience Primer from 1784 DEVICESEarly Textbooks

9. Mid-19th century (Germany, Netherlands) Easy, large-class display Better printing technology allows easier production Kny’s botanical charts, ca. 1874 DEVICES Wall Charts and Maps

10. Most successful educational innovation of the 19th c.? (And maybe 20th?) Ease of use, reusable, user-friendly (Except for teacher-back-turned problem) DEVICESThe Chalkboard

11. Chautauqua Desk “Swiss Army Knife” of educational material Part of larger “movement” for self-improvement, home education Chautauqua desk, ca. 1916 DEVICES Clever Combinations

12. Really?!? But this thing is so simple… Yeah, but: It spread around US classrooms faster than any other “device” Why? DEVICESOverhead Projector

13. From 4000 BCE Codify knowledge Cultural continuity Systematize thought Papyrus with hieroglyphs SYMBOL SYSTEMSWriting systems

14. The Thousand Character Classic Ca. 520 CE, by Zhou Xingsi Explicit “instructional design” Meaning and sound represented Calligraphic version SYMBOL SYSTEMSInstructional text

15. “Symbol systems” for representing knowledge Encoding, operations, etc. Reisch, Margarita Philosophica, 1508; Arithmetica instructing an algorist and an abacist SYMBOL SYSTEMS Mathematical Representation

16. LABANOTATION Represent dance movements, including speed, direction, lights source, etc. Cf. musical scores Other similar systems for rhythm, etc. SYMBOL SYSTEMS Other Representation Forms

17. SYMBOL SYSTEMSFilm and Video • The Montage (from Sergei Eisenstein’s “Battleship Potemkin” [1925] – the “Odessa Steps” sequence) • All manner of filmic/video devices – fades, cuts, wipes, dissolves – had to be invented, and acquire meaning

18. Orality vs. Literacy debate McLuhan’s theses Tufte on PowerPoint, etc. Walter Ong SYMBOL SYSTEMSSo Do They Have Cognitive Effects?

19. SYMBOL SYSTEMSGaming • Narrative, Metaphor, Engagement • Elicit extended focus • Complex environments, real learning • Action and violence • How to harness the potential for learning?

20. THEORETICALLY BASED METHODSSkinnerian Programmed Instruction Skinner’s behaviorist learning theory Wide popularity in late 1950s-1960s B o r i n g . . .

21. From simple book to industrial complex Production team model Systems for regular revision Competition: OER movement (cf. Wikibooks, WSBCTC) PRODUCTION SYSTEMSTextbook writing, editing, revision

22. PRODUCTION SYSTEMSClassroom Assessment • Student data digitized (responses, work samples, quizzes) • Real-time availability to instructors • Linkage to other systems (remediation tools, etc.)

23. PRODUCTION SYSTEMSSocial Media • Facebook, YouTube, Wikipedia, Twitter, etc. • “How we communicate and share now” • Multitasking and cognitive load • “This is how I goof off and waste time; why would I want to use it for my education?”

24. Possible Approaches-HOW to Consider It • Devices and their perfection over time • Heritage of ideas • Behaviorism • Cognitive psychology/learning sciences • Critical theory • Social anthropology and contexts of use in particular settings • Policy development and implementation

25. Our Approach Here: ThreefoldView from the Past Devices  Emergence of new symbol systems to capitalize on what those devices make possible  Incorporation of those symbol systems into educational materials, products, experiences  Research studies to determine if those materials (etc.) are effective

26. Our Approach Here:View from the Present • Research studies (done in the past)  • More contemporary studies or reviews that address those or related themes  • Understanding* of the contributions of past work • * Knowledge and appreciation • Extension of existing lines of work • Avoidance of pitfalls and blind alleys!

27. Our Approach Here:View towards the Future I • Changes in theory (Learning sciences focus) • Learning = collaborative, socially embedded • Context and prior experience matter (“decontextualized knowledge = dead knowledge”) • How information is represented matters • Changes in technology • More pervasive, less “special” • Affecting our relationship with text?

28. Our Approach Here:View towards the Future II • Changes in education • Heightened focus on outcomes, assessment • Less room for “open exploration” • More focus on teacher professionalism • Changes in policy • Increased “global competitiveness” pressure • Pressures to rationalize education (esp. higher ed)

29. What Else? Comments, extensions, arguments? (Much more to come…) Thanks! Steve Kerr