Mario deSantis, February 7, 1999

Quite often, I don't understand the work of many researchers and statisticians(1). For example,  there have been studies after studies debating the effectiveness of the use of new technologies in education and no definite conclusion was ever stated supporting the use of such technologies(2). I am a simple man and for me it was not a matter of debate; I immediately embraced the new technologies in business when, while employed with the Saskatchewan Health-Care Association,  I implemented the first microcomputer pension system to comply with the 1981 Saskatchewan Benefits Act, and in education, when in the early 80's, while with the Medicine Hat College, I proposed a business education program which included spreadsheet programming and computerized accounting. I personally cannot see why technological changes are effective in business and they are debatable for education; we seem to forget that one of the primary functions of education is to prepare the knowledge workers(3) of the future.

The many researches debating the usefulness of new technologies have been periodically conducted for the last 20 years. We are now in 1999, in an economic environment characterized by ongoing information technological changes, and we make references to these educational studies which span years in the past(4) (5). We cannot look too far back in the past and forecast what will happen in the future anymore, in our changing world we must be prepared of not being surprised of future surprises.

Some educators and politicians question the Return on Investments of new technologies implemented in education, and others feel that such technologies divert resources from teaching and learning the three Rs. We must not look into the past, but to the opportunities the present is bringing us. Computers and new technologies are not expensive anymore(6), training is not expensive anymore(7), software, especially for education, is not expensive anymore. And, as the diversion of resources from the three Rs is concerned, I don't rationalize how the use of wordprocessing, spreadsheet programming, Internet chatting, and proper Internet browsing and researching, can have a negative influence on Reading, wRiting and aRithmetics.

We have entered the Knowledge Economy, and our classrooms resemble the assembly lines of a past industrial age: the students sitting side by side in rows of desks, and the teacher in front of the students telling them to listen passively to his/her lectures. Our students use the Internet for chatting, e-mailing, and getting immediate information on any subject, yet we have teachers imparting knowledge within a system which is embarrassing(8). Some people are blaming in some instances "high tech" education for the declining educational standards(9). I agree that occurrences of misuse of computers is easy and widespread, but no use of them is presently a bigger problem(10). Let us reflect for a moment to the estimate by Forrester Research that Internet Commerce in the US will grow from $48 billion in 1998 to as high as $1.3 trillion in the year 2003(11). No, no, we don't require additional studies to confirm the usefulness of the Internet and new technologies in education: just let us exchange the strap(12) for the freedom to have every classroom wired to the Internet.

Some references and Endnotes

[a] REPORT: October, 1998: Virtual High School Evaluation Report, by Robert Kozma, Andy Zucker,Carlos Espinoza, SRI Project 7289 http://www.sri.com/policy/ctl/html/research.htm#vhs.htm http://vhs.concord.org/

[b] The Bell Rings for Education on the Web, by John Gilles http://webreview.com/wr/pub/97/01/31/feature/index.html

[c] Critical Issue: Using Technology to Enhance Engaged Learning for At-Risk Students http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/atrisk/at400.htm

[c] Reform on Education http://www.funderstanding.com/education_reform.html

[d] The Next National NetDay is March 20, 1999 Volunteer Now to Wire a School in Your Community, http://www.netday.org/

[e] President Clinton and Vice President Gore Participate in NetDay April 19, 1997 http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/New/NetDay

[f] IBM-West Des Moines District's five-year alliance yields "evergreen" technology , http://www.solutions.ibm.com/k12/news/cawest.html

1. In many instances the source of funding of researches determine the conclusions of the researches. Refer metaphorically to the passage "...The source for what passes as information has always been suspect because there is power in information, there is the ability to control people by controlling what information is allowed to surface..." article A Matter of Trust, by Thimoty Shire, December 1998. Published in North Central Internet News

2. What Does the Research Say About Technology's Impact on Education? Interviews, Judy Salpeter, Editor-in-chief, Technology & Learning magazine http://www.techlearning.com/intervie.shtml

3. The management expert and futurist Peter F. Drucker coined the term "Knowledge Worker" some twenty years ago. Refer to the site Peter F. Drucker Foundation http://www.pfdf.org/

4. Interview with David Dwyer, by Judy Salpeter, Editor-in-chief, Technology & Learning magazine http://www.techlearning.com/intervie.shtml

5. Wiring the classroom, by By Stannie Holt, Infoworld http://www.infoworld.com/pageone/news/features/anniversary/98ann.classroom.shtml

6. Technology News, French Supermarket Sells $300 Multimedia PC (02/04/99, 7:54 p.m. ET) By Madeleine Acey, TechWeb. The PC has truly become a commodity product, according to chip maker Cyrix after striking a deal to offer users an Internet-PC package for just $300. http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19990204S0012

7. All major training businesses are providing On-line training courses at new economic prices. These businesses include DigitalThink, CyberTech Learning, the Gartner Group's Internet Learning Center; magazine publishers Ziff Davis' ZD Net; Macmillan's eZone, and Oracle for its own software. Refer to article : Computer advances in education: another Internet revolution, by Mario deSantis, February 4, 1999. Published in North Central Internet News

8. Article: Thoughts on Education, Knowledge, Learning and the Internet, by Mario deSantis, January 23, 1999. Published in North Central Internet News

9. Letters to the Editor, The State of Education, Popular Science magazine, March 1999

10. The Beginners Guide to MATHEMATICA Version 3, by Jerry Glynn & Theodore Gray, Cambridge University Press, 1997, page 312.

11. PREDICTION: 1999: The Year of E-Business Forrster:http://www.webreference.com/new/981228.html#prediction Forrester Estimates Worldwide Internet Commerce Will Reach As High As $3.2 Trillion In 2003 http://www.forrester.com/Press/Releases/Standard/0,1184,114,00.html

12. Article: Report takes swipe at province: Serby prefers school divisions deal with use of force, by Jason Waick, The StarPhoenix, November 28, 1998. Saskatchewan Education Minister Serby supports the present legislated permission to use corporal punishment against children.