Enter a second post(3-5 paragraphs) in your blog that connects what you found most meaningful in your Wenglinsky reading and viewing of Barrett's talk. Connect these ideas to your own values or job. Remember to cite your sources so you can find it again (and to practice citation/reference skills).
As an instructional technologist in higher ed, it is a daily struggle to identify and implement technologies in ways that promote effective learning. Often, the technology itself is the easy part of the job, and teaching faculty and staff about the features and abilities can be the most complicated. As an IT, we are often in the position of becoming the jack of all trades, that needs to identify and consult on the best ways to use the technologies we provide regardless of the topic or subject in the classroom. It is our duty to not only offer the technology to faculty, but to teach them of its uses and assist with the process of integrating course content. It is an invaluable accomplishment when you leave a faculty member's office, knowing that you've provided them with a way to enhance their teaching and their student's learning.
With that said, the most important ideal that both Wenglinsky and Barret share, in my opinion, is the role of the teacher in the learning process. At the beginning of Barrett's talk, he was quite matter of fact about the role that teachers play in the classroom, and the importance of the teacher first and foremost before any technology or tools can provide an effective learning experience. Several of his subsequent examples also displayed this point with the mention of Kiva and Small Things Challenge. These organizations, as mentioned, may not directly use technology in the education process, but the technology to promote and create the awareness of such capabilities is a huge step toward getting needed tools to educate.
As Adam Duritz noted at the CES talk, an old saying still has a strong impact. "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime". The application of learning is an important aspect to any education experience. It provides a sustainable model for growth on both intellectual and economical levels. A specific example of this was a store owner with a disability who repaired and made clothes for a living. With the support of a Kiva loan, he was able to expand his business and offer programs to others with disabilities to teach them how they can also provide services to improve their lives. This kind of service and learning provides exponential sustainability and growth intellectually and economically.
Wenglinsky argues this point from the perspective of didactic v. constructivist approaches to learning. His CAI example (pp. 35-37) of kill and drill with no real teacher interaction statistically showed little to no effective outcome. This type of learning is the proverbial giving of the fish to an individual. Although the students are given the knowledge, they are often left unsure of how to apply it. Alternatively constructivist methods of teaching are more in sync with teaching a man to fish. For both teachers and students alike, technology assists in the process of learning and providing educational content in a way that makes the information applicable to life so students can take the knowledge and use it in their future endeavors.
Wenglinsky, H. (2005). Using technology wisely: The keys to success in schools. The TEC series. New York: Teachers College Press.
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