The importance of instructional technology in education

A first year doctoral student commented in class. "I don't want to do a dissertation about virtual classrooms or electronic boards, because in three years from here, we may not have electronic boards!" He was right, right in the sense that instructional technology changes dramatically. Every year, I have changed the curricula of my Instructional Technology courses. I keep learning, and applying it more and more. My best advice for students, who will be teachers, is to learn what is new and decide what fits them, and their teaching style as well as their students learning style. The big question is, if technology changes so fast, what is its role in Education?  Should it have a role at all? 

As a researcher, I always use materials, or techniques that have shown effectiveness. Then, most of my decisions on what to use or not, are based on research. I am passionate on how technology facilitates learning but never obsessed, sometimes I use blackboard and chalk to teach.  I believe we have to change our presentation techniques in each class so we motivate the students and keep them engaged. A few years ago, I wrote a short article about Technology Closes the Gap between Students’ Individual Skills and Background Differences published in Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education proceedings in 2004. It was a discussion that a specific software help students of different backgrounds to excel in Physics. I wanted it to be used in every single school. I saw using research, how students with careless preparation compete with students that have received a better preparation.

The key point here, is that yes, there is role that instrucional technology plays in education. As teachers or professors we are ready to use anything that help retention, learning, and stimulate our students brain and critical thinking. The key point is to use it based on research and not in "fashion wave", specially that budgets are limited. Always check the cost/benefit analysis. And my last comment, if technology helps to close the gap, it definitely plays a role in education.

Webquest still rocking!

Webquests, Webquests....why they are so "inn" until today. Bernie Dodge, a professor of educational technology at San Diego State University, has been cited by eSchool News as one of the nation's top 30 educational technology innovators. The idea is so simple, I wonder why I did not come up with that first!....When I used it in my doctoral level classes, my students love it!. It was so popular for k-12 students, why doctoral students cannot benefit from it!...and they did!. I created for students to learn to reiew a research paper. I have used successfully, and my doctoral students claimed they have learned a lot from it. if you are curious you can check it out at http://www.internationalprofessor.com/9804/mock2.html
Do you have a great webquest to show? I would love to see it!