Developing A Philosophy of Computers in Education
David Moursund
University of Oregon
NCCE 2006
Goal
To share some of my personal philosophy of ICT in education. (I have been working in ICT in education for a long time.
To encourage you to further develop your own personal philosophy of ICT in education.
Four of my beliefs
Many of our world’s problems can be addressed through better education.
All children deserve the opportunity to gain a high quality education.
Educational systems can be much better.
ICT will prove to be fundamental to achieving better educational systems.
Being loaded down with the world’s problems
I have been interest in problem solving throughout my professional career.
Problem Solving
Recognizing, posing, clarifying, “doing”questionsproblemstasksdecisions
Using higher-order, critical, creative, and wise thinking.
Produce, performance, presentation.
Words of wisdom
Every teacher should have a philosophy of education. (Message from my graduate students.)
Every teacher should have a philosophy of ICT in education. (Message from Dave to his students.)
“Computers are here to stay”
In my opinion, this is about as trite as saying:Math is here to stay.History is here to stay.Reading is here to stay.
Surely we educators can do better than that. (My tolerance for dumb statements has decreased as I have grown older.
Information and Communication Technology
ICT includesComputers (both large and small)Internet and WebCell phonesDigital still & motion cameras.iPods and the equivalentRobotsEtc.
ICT is a powerful change agent
Perhaps comparable to the development of agriculture?
Perhaps comparable to the three Rs?Perhaps comparable to the industrial
revolution?ICT is driving the information age. A change agent -------->>>>
My personal professional work environment
Open “paper and pencil” tests
How about:Open notes test?Open book test?Open computer with word processor and spell
checker test?Open computer and Web test? (And, without
severe time pressures.)
What is your “authenticity” philosophy?
It’s a Small World
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small worldhttp://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/smworld.htm
http://www.gofox.com/vacations/dlexplore.php?explore=Clips
Marshall McLuhan: Global Village.
I read a lot
Thomas Friedman:The World is Flat
Increasing “smallness” through improved transportation.
Increasing “flatness” through improved telecommunication.
Increasing worldwide knowledge about how green the grass is on the otherside of the fence.
Worldwide competition forresources, and jobs.
I think a lot
I try to make complex things simple.Example: We do problem solving all of the
time—what’s the big deal about that?
I tend to make simple things complex.Example: In school, students study many
different disciplines. But, what is a discipline?
Academic disciplines are defined by:
Problems, tasks, activities addressed.Tools, methodologies, evidence, recording
and sharing results.Accumulated results.History, culture, language; methods of
teaching and learning.Sense of beauty and wonder.
ICT affects each discipline — some more than others
Level of learning required on part of the user.
Accumulated knowledge about the uses of ICT to do a significant part or the work needed to solve some of the problems within the discipline.
Procedural thinking, where ICT systems can carry out the procedures.
Expertise in solving problems and accomplishing tasks
Expertise in a discipline
Discipline-specific Content Knowledge
Discipline-specific Maturity
Low
(Novice)
Expertise: A combination of Knowledge and Maturity
World Class
Three key questions: Within a discipline, what things can
Educated people do a lot better than ICT systems?
ICT systems do a lot better than educated people?
The combination of educated people and ICT systems do a lot better than either alone?
Five eras
1. Hunter-gatherer2. Agriculture3. Industrial4. Information5. Knowledge:
Contained within people Contained within machines
Knowledge
Data Information Knowledge Wisdom
Moving toward increased
understanding.
Data: Raw, unprocessed facts and/or figures, often obtained via
use of measurement instruments.
Information: Data that has been processed and structured,
adding context and increased meaning.
Knowledge: The ability to use information tactically and
strategically to achieve specified objectives.
Wisdom: The ability to select objectives that are consistent with
and supportive of a general set of values, such as human values.
Computer and:
Data processingInformation processingKnowledge processingWisdom processingWhat might it mean to say an ICT system has
knowledge or wisdom, or that it processes knowledge or wisdom?
Key philosophical issue
I assume you believe a human can gain knowledge and wisdom.
Do you believe that an ICT system can have some sort of knowledge and wisdom?
What is your philosophy about educating students for a world in which ICT systems are growing in machine-like knowledge and wisdom?
Six languages (Robert Logan)
1. Natural language
2. Written language
3. Mathematics
4. Science
5. Computing & computer languages
6. Internet and Web
We can also talk about the language of various disciplines such as music, football, etc.
Fluency philosophy
Fluency in a language is one measure of expertise in the language.
What is your philosophy on the level of fluency students should be helped to achieve in various types of languages?For example, is it OK for a child to grow up
with very little of no fluency in art and music?
Human intelligence
Learn Pose problemsSolve problems. This includes solving
problems, accomplishing tasks, and fashioning products. It includes critical thinking and making effective use of one’s overall knowledge and skills.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
This has long been one of my favorite topics.
What “intelligent-like” things can machines do, and what are their limitations?
How should AI affect:Curriculum?Instruction?Assessment?
Creativity and Intelligence
Humans are very good at creativity.While creativity requires intelligence, high
levels of intelligence (high IQ) does not imply high creativity.
My philosophy: foster creativity (in contrast, for example, with “just tell me exactly what I need to do, and I’ll do it”).
What really bugs me …
I think that in recent years our educational system has moved strongly in the direction of producing students who want and expect to be told exactly what do do and who are “lost” without a high level of detailed, explicit instructions.
My philosophy
With appropriate education, people get more intelligence.
ICT systems are getting more intelligent.Human intelligence and machine
intelligence overlap, but are quite different.Students should learn about both, as well a
about themselves.
CAI example
A machine can have the intelligence to provide drill and practice, provide immediate feedback, adjust the questions presented in an appropriate response to errors being made, switch into tutorial mode if it (the machine) decides this is needed, keep detailed records, prepare reports,and etc.
A machine may well have more intelligence than a human in this limited area.
Increasing human productivity
AgricultureIndustrial productionInformation Age:
Data processing productivityInformation processing productivityKnowledge processing productivity
What about the productivity of students and teachers?
Robert Branson’s Upper Limit Theory
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Upper Limit Theory
Timeline
Education is at an upper limit
Based on national test results, our schools have improved very little over the past 40 years.
Branson argues (and I agree) that with current methods and levels of expenditures, we are close to an upper limit.
Work harder and longer, versus work “smarter”
We can increase:Length of school day, counting homeworkLength of school weak and school yearNumber of years of educationTesting, requirements, and so on.
However, these changes are modest relative to a doubling of totality of human knowledge every five or ten years.
We need a paradigm shift
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Time
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Paradigm Shift “Jump”
Individualizing by
Increasing effort to have students learn to learn and to take more responsibility for their own learning.
Use of HIICALUse of asynchronous distance learningProviding strong support for lifelong
learning—especially learning in contexts and situations deemed relevant by learners.
Learn faster and better
From work of Benjamin Bloom and others:Mastery learningIndividual tutoring
ICT version of this: Highly interactive intelligent computer-assisted learning, perhaps delivered in an asynchronous distance learning mode.
Some students learn faster & better than others
Students with IQs of 75-80 tend to learn half as fast as average.
Students with IQs of 130 and above tend to learn twice as fast as average.
In my opinion, we are not doing nearly enough to accommodate to these individual differences.
Flat earth, revisited
Categories of workers difficult to outsource or off shore:
Sports stars and entertainersHighly specialized, doctors, lawyers, accountantsAnchored, barbers, nurses, plumbers, direct
service people, child care, lawn & garden careReally adaptable, versatile, broadly capable, “Jack
& Jill of many trades”
Final Remarks
Change: You can bank on it!
