K12 Schools Must Fill Need For Digital Media Skills
There is a new urgency to teach digital media literacy as a study finds students are taking online information for granted
When Apple introduced the iPhone on June 29, 2007, it was one of the largest and most anticipated consumer electronics releases ever. The device was revolutionary, not just because it combined a cellular phone, MP3 player and Internet access into one compact, sleek gadget, but because it relied entirely on a unique touchscreen user interface, lacking a keyboard, buttons or stylus, and was controlled entirely by finger taps and swipes. The original iPhone sold 270,000 units in the first 30 hours, and the device has gone on to sell some 13 million units to date, including the next generation iPhone 3G released in July. Some industry analysts are predicting Apple will sell 45 million iPhones a year worldwide by the end of 2009, growth driven primarily by consumer enthusiasm for touchscreens. “This new user interface will be like a tsunami, hitting an entire spectrum of devices,” predicts Francis Lee, CEO of touch sensor maker Synaptics.
Interactive Whiteboards
A touchscreen interface isn’t entirely new to school districts, however, some of which have been using touch technology like interactive whiteboards for many years. In 1991, SMART Technologies invented the first interactive whiteboard, a device that combines a whiteboard with a projector, presenting a computer screen for an entire class and enabling teachers to control the computer with the touch of their hand or pointer instead of a keyboard and mouse. Today similar technology is sold to schools worldwide, with whiteboard models now offered by a variety of manufacturers including Hitachi, 3M, eInstruction, Promethean, and Mimio. Whiteboards’ touchscreen interactivity and their increasing affordability have made them more popular than ever, and they are now estimated to be in 16 percent of all American classrooms—a number that keeps growing.
This summer, the Lovejoy (Texas) Independent School District installed 235 Hitachi StarBoard FXDuo interactive whiteboards across its five schools. “We wanted to convert our learning environment into a more interactive environment, and achieve better student engagement and an improved learning environment,” says Dennis Womack, assistant superintendent for operations for the district. The boards’ advanced touch features increased the appeal for the district. “We liked the fact that you’re not restricted to a proprietary writing instrument. You can use your finger, the back of your hand, or whatever you want to write on the board,” he says. Wichita (Kan.) Public Schools has approximately 1,500 SMART Technology interactive whiteboards. “Students want to use the boards,” says Marcia Jeans, the school district’s instructional technology specialist. “Those who normally wouldn’t want to get in front of the class are eager to use the board.” Interactive whiteboard software helps district teachers create interactive lessons, such as virtual science labs. Jeans finds the technology particularly helpful for teaching challenging math and science concepts, for example. “There are a lot of different ways to easily demonstrate a process,” she says.
Touchscreen Versatility
Besides whiteboards, specially designed touchscreens have also been common tools in other education technology sectors for some time. Touchscreen computers have aided special needs students, as they enable those uncomfortable with or unable to operate keyboards and mice to more easily use a computer. The Wichita district, for example, also uses about 20 touchscreen PCs for special education students. And students have commonly used other touchscreen devices such as tablet PCs and PDAs in school, with some districts purchasing and providing them through recent technology grant funding provided by the U.S. Department of Education. The Mesa County Valley (Colo.) School District 51 recently installed touchscreen kiosks in the area’s local library and grocery stores as part of its “Parent Bridge” initiative, which allows parents to easily log in and view their child’s academic records, even if they do not own a computer and are unfamiliar with a keyboard and mouse. This summer, administrators at Culbreth Middle School in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro City (N.C.) Schools announced their intention to supply an Apple iPod Touch for students to help teach organizational skills, technological proficiency, and to encourage them to record podcasts.
"Students who normally wouldn't want to get in front of the class are eager to." -Marcia Jeans, instructional technology specialist, Wichita (Kan.) Public Schools
