Before the Intranet, teachers taught differently

Although written more than a decade ago about technology, the author brought up several important points. Students now have a lot of control over what, when, and how they learn. “Current tec... See More

Although written more than a decade ago about technology, the author brought up several important points. Students now have a lot of control over what, when, and how they learn. “Current technology allows students to use the same technology to learn biology or chemistry that they use to pay bills or listen to music. Furthermore, they can interact in a way not possible with earlier electronic technologies.” Because students now have control over their own learning, they must become active learners. Teacher must teach their students how to separate out the “junk” and to search for the appropriate information that they need. The focus of teaching, according to the author, has shifted from the teaching of “facts” to how to use these facts. I recommend this article to all teachers that have not been raised with the Internet and computers.

A Liimited Technology Retrospect

This article presents an historical overview of how technology has changed over the past three decades starting with videotapes. Some of us older folks remember making slides and using a sl... See More

This article presents an historical overview of how technology has changed over the past three decades starting with videotapes. Some of us older folks remember making slides and using a slide projector. The authors bring this trip through history up to the new millennium (2000). There is a written concern that labs have gone from ‘wet labs’ to virtual labs. The overall concern however, is the hope that this technology will help scientists and students to share the enthusiasm to understand the world around us. While the article is an interesting retrospect it falls short of the past twelve years where information and technology working side by side has increase individual ability to gain and share knowledge exponentially.