Teaching and Learning With Technology: Learning From Experience

Abstract Academics, teachers and learners have been using computer technologies in education since the late 60s.  This use has been with a variety of intentions and in a variety of ways.  Inherent in all use has been the implicit assumption that the new technologies offer powerful supports for teaching and learning and that they will one day play integral and important roles in all educational settings.  Since the early days, the new technologies have developed quickly and are now ubiquitous in all facets of life.  However, the place and role of technology in education appears still to be in its infancy.  This paper will seek to explore the current place of technology in education, the opportunities offered by contemporary information and computer technologies, new technologies, and future roles for the technology, teachers and learners in the digital era.
Introduction The place and role of new technologies in schools and education after 30 years of development, application and research is often the cause for disappointment among those who have studied education and appreciate the opportunities which technology affords teachers and learners.  There have been, and continue to be, many pressures on teachers and educators to embrace new technologies in their teaching.  The main pressures continue to be economic, political and social and to a lesser degree educational.  The blend of these pressures and influences throughout the years leaves us at an interesting position as we contemplate education in the new millenium.
Educators have always sought to apply new technologies when they have emerged and have often been very creative in their endeavours and activities.  From early days, the literature abounds with examples of novel uses for radio, television and video.  More recently computer technologies have become popular teaching tools for many.  But many doubt the educational value that any of this use has afforded.  Cuban (1986) provides compelling evidence of the continued failure of technology applications to impact on practice and learning in any sustained way and his work continues to hold true as we observe the applications of technologies in the years since he published this landmark viewpoint.
The educational technology literature is replete with experts arguing whether technology can influence learning or whether it is merely “the vehicle that delivers” (Clark, 1994, p 22). Inherent in this argument is the question as to whether the various media provided by the technologies carry any unique or particular attributes which significantly impact on the learning outcomes or whether they provide alternative means for expression and presentation. While some argue the minor role played by the media, others argue forcefully that the new technologies do carry new unique and powerful attributes that can be tapped by appropriate usage (eg. Kozma, 1991; Kozma, 1994).
Research into the impact of computers and technology on learning tends to show mixed results.  Early meta analyses comparing technology-based learning (eg. Kulik & Kulik, 1985; 1991) reported significant achievement gains among learners using computers compared to others in conventional settings.  But more recent writing has questioned the findings of much of this early research in terms of its generalisation to mainstream practice (eg. Stoll, 1996). Research has also demonstrated that the size and nature of the achievement gains derived from technology-supported teaching are no more, and perhaps even less, than those achieved in classrooms where such alternative strategies as teamwork, collaboration, esteem-building and self-directed learning are prominent.  Among all this, people are now beginning to question much of this early research as being inappropriate, inaccurate and misguided in both its aims and method (eg. Reeves, 1993).
The mixed messages coming from the experts and the literature describing technology do little to aid teachers and practitioners many of whom are competent and successful within conventional teaching bounds.   But outside the schools and classrooms, questions are being asked about the success of our educational systems in terms of holistic education and overall learning outcomes.  It is within this context that this paper is written, seeking to explore future directions we should consider taking.