Teacher centered tech vs student centered tech

My recent educational/philosophical leanings are toward a more student centered/student empowered classroom experience in the k12 environment where the teacher serves as a formal teacher of background knowledge but where students do the majority of the work, and therefore, do the majority of the learning.

Freire’s conscientizacao construct and ed tech can go hand in hand if ed tech is implemented in a student centered manner. In many schools technology purchases are usually teacher focused…and by this I mean monies are generally allocated toward things like smart boards, document cameras, lcd projectors, etc which are really just 21st century extensions of the chalk board or overhead projector. The tools are still in the teachers’ hands and students are still the passive recipients of instruction.

If educators and policy makers reflected critically on their practice and, as an extension, the types of tech purchases that systems make, I think educators would request purchases of more interactive technologies and software packages.

There must be a genuine buy in from policy makers at the highest levels of decision making as well as a commitment from classroom teachers to truly engage in professional development to shore up the gap between themselves and their students when it comes to using interactive technology. I point out that the technology must be interactive if it is to be of any value.

I personally push the purchase of older hardware and the installation of a Linux OS. This can create a lower student/teacher/computer ratio…and drive software costs across a district down. Doing so will free up resources that can be used to purchase tablet pc’s, or even wacom style pen input devices which can be used in a virtual whiteboard environment like on elluminate in mathematics classes. There are a number of other inputs and devices that can be used across the content areas but my point is that technology and student centered classrooms will require a mixture of technological know how, a willingness to depart from the status quo in instruction and technology, and a critical reflection on what students need to learn for themselves.

For more on this topic please listen to this excellent podcast: 4 Guys Talking

Also, please feel free to share technologies that you use in your classroom ( software, hardware, or web based tech )