Chapter Summary

	Teachers, Schools, and Society by Sadker & Sadker
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Chapter 14: Technology in Education

Chapter Summary

Technology has long been a part of life in schools. From chalkboards to duplicating machines to filmstrip projectors, a stream of technological innovations has made its way into the classroom. Although technology does influence schools, historically it has had only modest impact on education.
While television holds great educational promise, with high-quality programming such as Sesame Street, much of television fare is, at best, unproductive and, at worse, damaging. The world view presented through the TV lens is quite distorted, leaving viewers with an image of a society populated mostly by males, with few young children, and replete with ethnic and racial stereotypes.
Violence, racism, and sexism on television send negative messages to children. Advertising, often targeted at young viewers, adversely influences children's behavior, including their diets and spending habits.
While viewing television at home creates one set of questions, bringing television into the classroom raises other issues. How much television, and what kind of television, is worth class time? The growth of cable channels, such as C-Span, A&E, and The History Channel, offers new media learning opportunities. The growth of video libraries provides additional resources. The introduction of Channel One, a for-profit enterprise that brings current events and commercials into classrooms, raises questions about the role of commercial television in public schools.
The latest technological innovation in education has been computes and Internet access. But implementation has been expensive. The costs of computer hardware and software purchases and the expense of "wiring" schools for Internet access have eaten into school budgets.
Training teachers to use computers has also been challenging. While some teachers are able to adapt to the new technology, others resist, and some suffer from "technophobia," a fear of technology. Contrast teacher fears with the computer knowledge and skills that many students bring to school, and a technological age gap is obvious.
There are numerous educational applications of computers and the Internet. Virtual field trips take students around the world, assistive technology helps special needs students succeed, simulations recreate events, personal tutor diagnose learning needs, and distance learning brings education directly into the home.
Global Education investigates world issues that span national borders, including such issues as conflict reduction and ecology. Global education is a growing curricular phenomenon, thanks in part to the Internet.
The Virtual High School enables students from around the nation, and around the world, to register for courses not available in their local high schools. Through the use of the Internet, e-mail, and other technological tools, students in different geographic areas can enroll in the same class. The Virtual High School is an example of the potential of technology to alter the way students learn and the way teachers teach.
Technology has not been an equal educational resource. Inequity continues to be a major problem as race, gender, and economic status influence access to computers and the Internet. Wealthier Americans, especially Asian and white males, are the most likely to use computers in school, and the most likely to realize salary benefits from that involvement after graduation.

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