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Brandy Milson

Assignment 11 Trends and Issues

University of Houston- Clear lake

Dr. Rice

November 14, 2010

Abstract

As school technology budgets and resources are being cut to offset costs in a struggling

economy, it is important to look at current and emerging instructional technology trends.

Increasingly, web 2.0 tools are being utilized in education as a growing numbers of educators are

entering the teaching field with technology skills. According to Brill (2007) educators had this

to say about their current use of technology, " It facilitates the clear and elaborate presentation of

information to students; enables the showing of numerous and complex examples; enhances the

engagement/attention of students; encourages student-student and student-instructor interaction;

and provides structure and support to the in-classroom experience" (p. 100). This paper will

discuss current educational trends and issues including corporate partnerships, evolving function

of schools, state technology assessments, technology tools, and the open content movement.

Keywords: corporate partnerships, state technology assessments, technology tools, open content

movement, web 2.0, educational technology trends

As school technology budgets and resources are being cut to offset costs in a struggling

economy, it is important to look at current and emerging instructional technology trends.

Increasingly, web 2.0 tools are being utilized in education as a growing numbers of educators are

entering the teaching field with technology skills. According to Brill (2007) educators had this

to say about their current use of technology, " It facilitates the clear and elaborate presentation of

information to students; enables the showing of numerous and complex examples; enhances the

engagement/attention of students; encourages student-student and student-instructor interaction;

and provides structure and support to the in-classroom experience (p. 100). This paper will

discuss current educational trends and issues including corporate partnerships, evolving function

of schools, state technology assessments, technology tools, and the open content movement.

Corporate Partnerships

Technology itself is changing the way that information is transmitted, but it is not free. If

schools want to keep current with major educational technology trends they must find a way to

pay for it. In higher education, you are seeing an increase in academic-corporate partnerships

that help develop advanced research labs, increase technology resources, and provide access to

industry giants as adjunct faculty. Companies like IBM or Dell are also teaming up with select

struggling K-12 schools to help provide access to resources. Research indicates that these

corporate educational partnerships in both K-12 districts and higher educational institutions will

continue to expand as education attempts to re-energize STEM education. In higher education,

some schools are developing more specialized degree programs to meet the workforce needs of

partnered entities. This partnership can produce ready to work candidates for hire which

companies can be ensured have qualifications which meet their needs. The private sector gets to

conduct trials and studies on products or services through educational institutions and students
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gain knowledge from experiences. Meanwhile, as the private sectors helps off-set rising

technology costs, academic institutions gain reputation and produce higher quality workers.

The Changing Face of Education

Technology is changing the primary function of schools which is being met in some places

with apathy or resistance. During industrialization, education's primary purpose was assimilation

through programed instruction. Today, society's goals have changed in order to meet current

social, economic, and political needs. Instruction is no longer perceived as one way information

transfer, rather it is seen as a fluid and interactive sharing of resources. Many instructional roles

are being transformed into mentorships. At the higher education level you are seeing an increase

in the customization of student degree plans which is a response to a customer-oriented role shift.

Globalization is transforming educational activity and more inter-university collaboration is

occurring. As educators shift focus away from authoritative unifying practices, informal learning

strategies are becoming increasingly popular and individualized 'just in time' instruction and

support activities are replacing linear units of content progression.

Standardized Technology Assessments

In the era of the standards movement brought on by the No Child Left Behind act, some states

are beginning to use statewide technology assessments. Two important assessments are the STaR

assessment of teachers and schools, and future standardized assessment for students. "Although

only two states reported using statewide assessments, there is reason to think that several more

states will soon assess student technology proficiency. Eleven states reported plans to assess

student technology skills" (Bakia, Mitchell, & Yang, 2007, p. 15). The question that I have is

that since Texas is one of the states which reported that they are developing these standards soon,

how will they evaluate technology standards. Will assessment be integrated into content courses
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or as skills tests before eighth grade (since the goal is that everyone have technology proficiency

skills by eighth grade)? To receive EETT funds, each state has to meet select criteria. In the

state of Texas, EETT funds are used to, "provide technical assistance to districts on the

implementation of the School Technology and Readiness (STaR) Chart" (Bakia, Mitchell, &

Yang, 2007, p. 44). "It (STAR chart) focuses on four key themes: teaching and learning,

educator preparation and development, administration and support services, and technology

infrastructure" (Bakia, Mitchell, & Yang, 2007, p. 44). All teachers in the state of Texas have to

complete their annual STaR chart assessment and the data is collected and aggregated by the

state.

Technology Tools

There is an abundance of tools available to educational technologist in the status quo. In fact,

it can be a challenge to select which tools fit your instructional needs. Web Applications such as

Google Apps and even Microsoft's new limited version of online MS Office apps are expanding

the access that we have to our important documents online (cloud computing). Mobile learning

tools are expanding as smart phone technology is progressing. As for VLE's, (virtual learning

environments) there has recently been some activity to pull away from Second Life and search

for new virtual world due to increasing cost. "Today, disenchanted with commercial virtual

worlds but still convinced of their educational value, a few colleges have started to build their

own, where they have more control" (Jeffery, 2010, para. 2). Online learning management

systems are becoming staples of distance education programs but in a challenged economy more

schools are turning towards open content systems such as Moodle which have the same basic

tools but are available at no charge which eases burden's placed on overtaxed technology

budgets. The popular proprietary program Blackboard is the current standard but due to
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increasing cost, restrictive design, and lack of significant advantages over open source

alternatives. Another recent trend that will continue in the future is the decreasing dependence

on portal or server side applications such as a LMS, and the increase in use of mobile

communication tools. "Dependence on server portal solutions is always subject to network

problems. When information is sent directly to mobile devices, there is no system to crash.

According to Thomas, the adherence to portal-based systems like Blackboard is, in essence,

teaching students with archaic technology" (Bradford, Porciello, & Balkon, 2007, p. 306). This

will most likely be used in combination with free learning management system tools which will

be used for tracking and storage purposes. One of the most promising trends is the increase of

research and utilization of gaming and simulation software. Wilson (2009) proposes, "Given the

novelty of game-based learning, many educators remain skeptical of the games' ability to

facilitate learning or to embed assessments appropriately. It is important to provide external

validation of the learning that is taking place" (p. 29). This is why game based strategies and

instructional game theory research is crucial. Further research also needs to be conducted in

external validation of learning through simulation. Ash (2009) suggests, "Game-based learning

isn't going to work for everyone, it's not going to work all the time, and it's not going to work for

all your needs" (p. 22). Many educational researchers currently studying game based and

simulation learning strategies recommend that the strategy be used sparingly due to complex

development procedures needed to ensure quality instruction. Eck goes on to suggest that ,

"Given that it can be labor-intensive, it makes more sense to reserve this kind of approach for

content that you know is difficult for students to master" (Ash, 2009, p. 22). The final technology

trend that will likely continue to progress is the use of one to one computers when possible.

Several educational federal initiatives are trying to make this a reality. One of the new tools
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which has the potential for decreasing costs yet providing increased access is the current Ipad

trend.

Open Content Movement

As higher education institutions and K-12 districts struggle to meet increasing technology

costs, more are turning to open source content. "As the world of learning becomes flatter, more

and perhaps better options, such as open-source learning management systems, are becoming

available and these are empowering students and teachers in today’s pedagogical arena"

(Bradford, Porciello, & Balkon, 2007, p. 306). One of the best aspects to open source content is

the ability to customize the code if one has the technical knowledge to do so, this leads to

programs which continually improve. Brown and Adler (2008) propose, "Arguably, the most

visible impact of the Internet on education to date has been the Open Educational Resources

(OER) movement, which has provided free access to a wide range of courses and other

educational materials to anyone who wants to use them" (p. 2). This shift towards open

educational resources has improved the quality of educational by providing access to resources.

Conclusion

Learners are no longer content to be passive participants in their education. As educators we

must find ways to help them become active participants in the educational process. Many of the

current trends and issues in instructional technology are designed to do just that. This paper

summarized just a few current educational trends and issues including corporate partnerships,

evolving function of schools, state technology assessments, technology tools, and the open

content movement. As technology continues to progress, educators and administrators will

continue struggle to find the balance between current needs and available resources.
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References

Ash, K. (2009). High-tech simulations linked to learning. Education Week, 28(28), 20-23.

Bakia, M., Mitchell, K., & Yang, E. (2007). State strategies and practices for educational

technology: Volume I--examining the enhancing education through technology program. US

Department of Education, 53, 136.

Bradford, P., Porciello, M., & Balkon, N. (2006-2007). The blackboard learning system:

The be all and end all in educational instruction? Journal of

35(3), 301-314. 

Brill, J. M., et. al., (2007). Perils and promises: University instructors' integration of

technology in classroom-based practices. British Journal of Educational Technology, 38(1),

95-105.

Brown, J. S. & Adler, R. P. (2008). Minds on fire: Open education, the long tail, and learning

2.0. EDUCAUSE Review, 43(1), 1-19.

Young, Jeffrey. (2010). After frustrations in Second Life, colleges look to new virtual worlds.

The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from

http://chronicle.com/article/After-

Frustrations-in-Second/64137/.

Wilson, L. (2009). Using games and simulations in the classroom. MultiMedia & Internet @

Schools, 16(3), 26-30.