Technology & Education-A.Miskin

["Alan S. Miskin" <amiskin@MIAMI.GDI.NET>]

Technology & Education-A.Miskin
Sunday 2/21/99
LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
cc: Ilene Frank, USF/Tampa, FL

If I may add to the discussion concerning concerning Technology &
Education . . .

Lynn Dye wrote:

 Hi, All. We were the grateful recipients of a substantial technology
grant  this past year. Now it's time to assess the impact on our
curriculum/tech integration and on learning. Yikes. Has anyone out there
in lm_net-land had any experience with assessing the use of technology?

Victoria Rubottom replied:

Would you believe there is really no research that shows technology
enhances learning.  I am a GTA For DR. Dusti Howell in the Instructional
Design and Technology  at Emporia State University.  He has been trying
to collect research on this subject and has found nothing.  Nightline
did a show about this subject back in Nov. or Dec.   It had the same
conclusion.There is no real evidence that Technology make a difference
in learning. Everybody say Technology is vital , (and I tend to agree)
but there is no real research that proves the point.   Spooky isn't it.
If anybody has this type of research  I'm sure Dr. Howell would love the
citation.

Alan Miskin's reply follows:

As a new subscriber to LM-NET please allow me to introduce myself . . .
I am in the University of South Florida MLIS program earning a 2nd
graduate degree, as part of a mid-life career change.  I  have been a
K-12, College and University level instructor for 25 years in addition
to having a variety of work experiences and participating in many
educational & training seminars over the years.

As part of Ilene Frank's course: Library Services for Distant Users, we
participated in an "on-line" seminar sponsored by The Wellspring:
http://wellspring.isinj.com
The "guest speaker" was Dr. Thomas Russell, who is being described by
netizens as "The No Significance Guy"  ... he is the Director of the
Office of Instructional Telecommunications at North Carolina State
University.  He is publishing a book claiming that his collation of 355
studies showed "no significant difference" between distance learning and
traditional classroom learning, and that each distance learning delivery
mechanism is as effective as any other!  That would mean, television,
film and video, self-study "correspondance courses", and now of course
CMC (Computer Mediated Communications) Distance Learning courses too.
Dr. Russell's web page if you are interested in pursuing this line may
be found at:  http://tenb.mta.ca/phenom

As a life-long learner/educator I have more than a passing interest in
issues related to these topics for discussion.  As a research proposal,
I did premilinary work gathering materials and preparing to conduct a
comparison study teaching an introductory Astronomy course using a
tri-modal comparison of "traditional classroom lecture", "self-study"
and "CAI (Computer Assisted Instruction)" using a program which I wrote.
In preparation for the research, I participated in both Instructional
Design and Educational Research Methods courses at Nova University.  I
learned that "doing research" on human subjects is very specialized, (as
compared to hard science research methodology).  I had a good background
in the hard sciences, having earned my original Masters in Physics, some
20 years earlier.

There are many issues relating to conducting "valid" educational
research, and literally tens of thousands of published papers
(See: ERIC database).  I have serious reservations about the
validity of much of the educational research that has been done,
and I certainly would NOT base my opinions on views presented in TV
shows (Ted Koppel's, Oprah's nor Jerry's)!  There were many, many
issues the the Nighline piece did not address, including the changing
complexion of American society, cultural awareness (both in learners and
teachers), different learning styles, degrees and types of intelligence,
and efficacy of traditional teaching itself . . . which is being widely
questioned currently.   I see the issue as the changing (declining)
values/ethics structure of Americans, lack of standardized "core"
curricula, and mandating the teaching of frivolous "feel good" curricula
to meet the whining "needs" of every new group which America decides to
make a part of "the patchwork quilt".

Some of the many factors which one should consider in
conducting/evaluating educational research inlcude: differentiating
legitimate research from anecdotal experience or "expert" advice,
defining the research problem, researcher bias, sampling procedures,
educational measurement, statistics, types of research methods;  e.g.
survey, descriptive and causal comparative, experimental and
quasi-experimental, single subject vs. multi-subject, etc.

It has been said that the solution to our educational problems are "out
there" (most recently by President Clinton) and I agree with that
statement.  What I find sad is that year after year, decade after decade
we keep hearing the same song sung by the educational bureaucrary; we
need more $$$, more focus groups and studies, the latest gizmos in the
classroom, fancier schools, special mult-cultural awareness programs,
etc., etc., etc.!  What we need is for middle America to wake up before
its too late!  If Marva Colllins (who was turned away by the educational
bureaucracy) could take a group of inner-city Chicago "at risk"
juveniles and turn them into eager learners, it can be done anywhere in
America. Hers is one model of transforming education which I can
support.

A few references which I would recommend for anyone wanting to learn
about the issues surrounding this discussion follow . . .

Armstrong, Thomas. Awakening Your Child's Natural Genius.
[New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Perigee Books, 1991.]

Copperman, Paul. The Literacy Hoax  The Decline of Reading, Writing and
Learning in the Public Schools and What We Can Do About It.
[New York: Morrow Quill Paperbacks, 1980.]

Borg, Walter.  Applying Educational Research, 2nd ed.
[New York & London: Longman, 1987.]

Gage, N.L. The Scientific Basis of the Art of Teaching.
[New York: Teachers College Press, 1978.]

Kemp, Jerold E. The Instructional Design Process.
[New York: Harper & Row Pub., Inc. 1985.]

Wynn, Richard and Joanne Lindsay Wynn. American Education.
[New York: Harper & Row Pub., Inc. 1988.]

Regards, Alan.

Alan S. Miskin  e-mail: amiskin@miami.gdi.net
1553 N.E. 46 St.
Oakland Park, Florida 33334
(954) 771-0722  voice or fax.
-end-

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