Interview
You both have been involved in the information
technology (IT) field for about 20 years and
have spent a majority of that time working for schools.
This is a testament to the influence that technology
has had on education. Based on your experiences,
how has technology changed the way that teachers
teach and the student’s learning experience?
Q:
instantaneously through the online network. So these
technologies give students access to lively, and engaging
platforms that have the potential to pique their interests
in what they are learning and improve learning outcomes.
For teachers, access to and comfort with these technologies
allows them to obtain information from many different
sources and present this information to students through
different channels.
A:
Of course, while the old classroom may seem relatively
simple and outdated to us today, many smart people were
able to learn in those environments. So we cannot say
definitely that access to innovative technologies necessarily
produces better students, though we can say for certain that
technologies improve the ways in which information can be
presented. At Keystone, we will not use technology just to
use technology. Rather, we will use technology where we can
pique a student’s interest in their learning and to guide them
to engage with the content they are exploring. I will give the
metaphor of a chef to illustrate my point. We want to cultivate
chefs who are able to create new foods and menus based on
their own experiences and thoughts. We do not want to create
chefs who use what is on the menu to repeatedly make the
same dishes. IT is simply a tool to be used by our chefs to
deepen their understanding of the different foods and their
ingredients and to explore new and creative ways to present
or express these outcomes based on their findings.
Dong Ai: Compared with the classrooms of old,
which consisted of blackboards, chalk, and a podium,
the classrooms of today, which consist of iPads, laptop
computers, projectors, multimedia speakers and remote
controls, and storage equipment, are much more engaging
and interesting. Students now can watch inspiring videos
related to the content they are studying, they could search
the internet for information, talk with students overseas
using online technologies, and share findings with students
Dong Ai on holiday in Tanzania
Sean: Access to information is one notable impact that IT
has had on education. Currently, I am enrolled in a Master’s
program in a University that is based in the UK, for example.
I do all of my studying online. We have classmates as far away
as Africa, the UK, the U.S., and I am in China, but we are all in
the same classroom. On the other hand, my wife always talks
about when she got her Master’s degree and how she spent
much of her time in the library doing research and pulling
down books to get information for her thesis. I am now able
to do this on my computer. Our access to information and
global cultures has changed dramatically as has the speed in
which we can integrate this data into our lives.
At the same time, I think that we are still defining how IT
is changing teaching in education. IT is a tool that can be
used like everything else, so it all boils down to how teachers
choose to use it and how they relate to the technology. You
can use technology as a tool to substitute other things, such
as books. Or you can use it to create entirely new worlds
that were not possible for you to do in a classroom before;
to design an enzyme, break it down, and understand the
workings of microns. The possibilities are endless. I do not
think that we have hit the end of what we see as good use of
technology.
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The Keystone Magazine