Future+Technology+Rich+Task


 * Future Technology in Education **

No one can be sure how technology will develop in the future. We have found that asking student focus groups to think about future technologies ineffective – perhaps the scope is just too big. We decided that a better approach may be in the form of a structured lesson and after finding a willing teacher, Ms Marischen, we joined an 11th grade English class.

We started the class by introducing ourselves and the topic: Future Technology in Education! After fumbling around with the technology (ironic!) we screened a short video demonstrating how, if 50 years ago a student had imagined the technologies we have today, their ideas would have seemed crazy, perhaps impossible. We then presented three slides: one showing changes in transport; one the transition from paper and blackboards to projectors and computers; one with possible future technologies.



Students were asked to form 6 groups (with 3 or 4 students in each). Each group was given scrap and A3 paper, and asked to choose a subject from a list. Before taking the class, we tried out the idea on ourselves for a History class. After brainstorming, we came up with five future technology ideas (including an Augmented Reality device which let you look at a particular area and see it at a sat time in history and a hologram machine which let you speak to certain people from history). We showed these to the class and suggested that they too begin by brainstorming.

We left the class working on their ideas for just under an hour - they seemed very enthusiastic and came up with some cool ideas. Each group was then asked to explain their ideas to the rest of the class.

Click here for some of the ideas from the groups.



Following this task we wanted the students to think about the pros, cons and practicalities of such technologies. Each group was given two of the following statements: 1. Future Technologies will improve education because… 2. Future Technologies will __not__ improve education because… 3. Funding for Technology in education should be increased because… 4. Funding for Technology in education should __not__ be increased because…

After discussing and filling in the sheets, groups with statement 1 and 4 were asked to join groups with statement 2 and 3, then share their answers. Click here if you would like to view these.

Everyone was asked to decide where their opinion rested – did they all agree? What questions needed to be answered first? We joined groups to listen to their discussions and found that they pretty much all had the same stance: technology in education is important and money should be invested in it. The money invested will depend on the technology available, as it develops. Education must move with the times! However, we must be careful when it comes to technology and never let it become a distraction from learning: “You have to put some walls around technology. It can also destroy lessons – I experience it myself” [Student, GFS].

“Until a certain level its necessary to approve of the technology we have in school, but then there’s some level where it stops – we don’t really want robots for teachers..! Although there is an argument for it…” “If we have robots as teachers there will be no favourite students!” [Students, GFS]

The class came up with some great ideas - although it would have been better had we had more time, perhaps another double period. Also, this task would have worked well if the students had had access to technology - so they could produce their future classrooms using computer software and used the internet for research.