Article Review: Tools for the Mind

For Dr. Ohler's class, I read "Tools for the Mind" by Mary Burns. The article is from educational leadership in December 2005, and this is my review.

Educators are currently evaluating technology usage in light of NCLB mandates and impending budget cuts to compare current technology integration with the intention of the use of technology in the classroom. There are four common behaviors that have resulted in a narrow focus of educational technology.

Teachers are given professional development in teaching them skills on the computer instead of how to enhance student learning using computers.

• Technology is handed out without long term planning and support systems in place to maximize the classroom technology


• There is no overarching body of professionals looking at data and statistics to see if students really are learning with this improved technology


• Not all software is created equal. Without realizing this, software is integrated that focuses on lower level skills instead of digging deep and using higher order thinking skills.

Students are using the Internet simply as an electronic textbook not learning how to question it, research its validity, or evaluate the source. This is then passive learning without students delving in and ultimately not challenging the students appropriately.

They are no more engaged with low level tasks electronically then they are with low level tasks in paper and pencil. To change these mindsets and current approaches to technology, professionals will have to return to critical thinking, student-centered instruction with students using computers as mind tools. To do this, Burns suggests two strategies:

• Teach critical thinking first and technology later


• Focus on curriculum, instruction and assessment

"If higher order thinking is a mail goal of instruction, then teachers themselves must keep sharpening their critical thinking skills. It's not enough to help students find and communicate information. Teachers need to show students how to evaluate the information's veracity, reason logically, come to evidence-based decisions, create relevant new knowledge, and apply this learning to new situations." This learning may or may not involve computers. Using computers is not the goal, rather creating the information and ideas is the goal and then technology can be integrated into that learning if, and only if, it adds to that learning.

To integrate computers in higher-order ways, ongoing professional development must take place. Teachers then need opportunities to work together to plan these rich, interdisciplinary activities where "technology serves to extend learning in way that would not be possible without it's use."

This is a wonderful article that exposes some areas of need if technology usage is to reach its potential to truly enhance student learning. I've sat in a few technology classes so far and the instructional goal is how to use the technology with no emphasis on how to implement it or how students can use such technology in reaching higher potential in their minds.

Certain teachers have been able to take the limited information given and run with it while others still need further instruction on its use before being able to effectively implement it into student learning. I believe it all comes back to refocusing planning to the core content and curriculum goals and then evaluating if technology usage will further student learning in ways that sometimes only technology can.

My Educational Philosophy Video

This is a project was done for class where I captured my educational philosophy in under 2 minutes. This video is an introduction to my philosophy.

This video project was my attempt to convey those things I feel strongly about in regards to education and specifically mathematics education. Reducing my philosophy into about 1 minute was a difficult assignment as I really was forced to weigh out what I felt was most important to begin with and what priority certain truths held over others. As I worked through this struggle, I feel that I have come to a pointed, concise introduction to my philosophy that accurately shows who I am and what is important to me. My only regret for this project is the inability to capture my students photographs to make this video more personal. I am currently still awaiting approval to photograph along with the list of names of students who cannot have their photograph published.

How will I use a project like this in the classroom?

In a similar fashion, students this spring will complete a video project. My host teacher has had students build poster boards in the past using systems of equations to solve certain problems. This year we hope to work together and utilize the students 1 to 1 laptops for them to take the project digital. In doing so, shy kids will have the ability to let their creativity manifest without the fear of public speaking. Instead, a video is started. A digital story/project like this will accentuate students learning as we continually tie their knowledge with technology.