Reading Reaction - T&C Chapter 5

One recurrent theme I found interesting in chapter 5 of T&C is the blame placed on teachers by reformers when the latest and greatest technology does not revolutionize the classroom. Although valid reasons for not using the technology such as hardware problems, lack of adequate equipment, technology not fitting the curriculum, etc. where given by teachers, reformers still blamed the teachers and labeled them as lazy & incompetent. Objects such as the blackboard (white board), paperback books, maps and globes, and ballpoint pens are technological advances that have been embraced wholeheartedly by teachers. We often do not think of these items as technological innovations since they are not machines. As we learned in Dr. Jones' technology class, the technology that had the greatest impact on Western Civilization was three field crop rotation. Dr. Jones also pointed out that technology should be used to solve a problem. Tyack and Cuban point out the same thing on page 122 - "...used the technology that fit familiar routines and classroom procedures - in other words, that helped them solve their problems of instruction. Technology for the sake of technology is not an advance but rather a burden placed upon classroom teachers.