As I sit here trying to figure out what exactly I would like to put into my ongoing blog here at Winthrop, I realize that I should start with what I know. The facts are always a good starting place, and in this case, I would like to always remember what I have learned in lectures. The information is very useful to me, and also very important to the reader.
The first big push for technologies in classrooms came about between 1900 and 1920. Everyone was excited about the possibilities that arose from this new way to introduce students to materials that they needed to learn. It all began with instructional film. Thomas Edison was also behind this push for integrating technolgy into our classroom. He was so sure that instructional film was the best thing to introduce our children to, that he stated, "Books will soon be obsolete." This push for technology was alot to take in for students, as well as teachers. It was soon met with opposition.
When teachers did not give into the reformers, they received backlash from the pro-technology folks and stated that teachers were resistant to change and were anti-technology. However, this was not the case. Teachers had different problems with instructional films. The biggest complaint seemed to be the cost of instructional films. Not only were they too pricey for the teachers or schools to purchase, but the hardware was extremely unreliable providing another opportunity for costs to add up. Teachers were successful at showing their points, and once everyone weighed the pro's and con's of instructional film, it was quickly pushed aside until a new technology evolved; Instructional radio.
Instructional radio seemed to be the solution to all of the complaints of instructional film during the 1930's and 1940's. The hardware was extremly cheap to make, so it would make the radio more accessible to all educators. It was coined as the "textbook of the sky." It, too, ran into some difficulties in the classroom. Many teachers still complained that they had no radio-receiving equipment. Even though there were planes that were sent into the sky that distributed transmission to areas that could not receive the radio waves complained of poor reception. Teachers also complained that the radio program schedule was extremely inconvenient and hard to manage with the classroom and daily schedule.
The last huge invention/idea for integrating technologies into the classroom came in the 1950's with the rise of the Instructional Television. This was supposed to be a fix-all; it had audio and visual. Everyone was so confident that this technology would see us through, that it received huge investors like the Ford Foundation and the Department of Education, which funded tens of thousands of dollars into the distrubution, education and integration of instructional television as a part of the school day. However, it also ran into similar difficulties with teachers. The same complaints were inevetable; broadcast time inconvenience, no euipment or facilities and not enough time in the school day.
Many reformers and technology pushers of these times seemed extremely daughnted. It looked as if we were not able to find the right blend of teacher instruction and technology integration. However, we have evolved into a very technological society. I feel as if we are just now finding the right combination of technology into our classroom. I hope that this online blog and the website that I will be creating and maintaining will demonstrate a strong educational progression from the last years of my college education. I will use this as a reference tool and a possible addition to my portfolio in future years!
