Fom Hooper and Rieber's Teaching: Technology into Practice (1995).


Compare and Contrast "product" and "idea" technologies. How would you use technology in the classroom.

                   "Product" technology, according to authors Hooper and Rieber, is one of the two main types of technology in education.  This includes two components, hardware and software technology.  Examples of hardware would include movies, audiocassessette players, recorders, computers and CD-ROMs.  Examples of software technology includes "print-base materials" like overhead transparencies, books and worksheets.
                   "Idea" technology is the second main type of technology in education.  This is explored through the use of "product" technology you can not have the "idea"ugh the use of without the "product."  An example of "idea" technology would be the virtual fieldtrips we created for Social Studies class.  Students can experience places or events through the use of "idea" technology without physically having to be there.  The idea is created becasue the product has made it possible.  The idea is using the product to creat and explore further into technology use.  You are taking just the product and going a step further.  You now know how to operate something so make something beneficial with "idea" technology.
                   I would use technology throuhg various ways in my future classroom.  I would first introduce, demonstrate then teach "product" technology because not all my students will be familiar with the variety of product technology.  I can have my students who are already familiar with, say the computer or videocassesset players help explain how to use them to other students. Then I will introduce my projects I have created such as myh virtual fieldtrip and have my sutdents access it and interact with it learning various points from that specific topic.  I will want my students to interact with technology on a daily basis.  It will be my role to facilitate their use and introduce them to a variety of "idea" technology that will enhance their learning experiences.  I believe it is also my responsibility to keep up to date with technology use in the classroom and advances in technology by attending technology workshops frequently.

 How did the highschool I attended use technology in the classroom?

                      I don't recall using that much variety of technology when I was younger in the classroom.  One of the only recollections I have from when  I was in kindergarten and first grade was using tape players to listen to books on tapes and following along with the actually book.  When I was in fourth, fifth and sixth grade we were introduced to computers and went to the computer lab onece a week to practice typing on the keyboard and to play games.  When I was in middle school one of our required classes was a computer class only for half the year and again practiced typing skills.  In Highschool we were required to take a class again only half the year. We used type writers for half the time and the computer for the other half.  We were introduced to programs such as Microsoft Word and Word Art and Painting. We had a few projects to do using these programs but it took awhile for the teacher to explain how to use each program.
                   I was disappointed with the quality and lack of experience we spent in technology class when I was in highschool and grade school.  When I got to my first year of college I had to learn new programs on my own or had to have a friend teach me how to use it such as powerpoint because many of my teachers expected presentations to be done on powerpoint.  This computer class that we are taking now has been very helpful to me because many of the programs we have been taught to use I was not familiar with in the past.  I can definitely use these programs in the future as a teacher to enhance m classroom, my teaching style and to enhance my students' learning experiences.