Connecting Theory and Practice:

Is Theory Really of Any Use?

• Two Cases
• Is Technology Just Technology?
• A Sampler of Educational Software
• A Sampler of Web Sites
• Some Questions About the Programs You Explored
• A Way of Thinking About Diverse Uses of Technology

Case 1. Jill Thornton's Classroom Problems

Jill Thorton, a fifth grade teacher in Seattle, explores the use of problem-based learning in her classroom.

Case 2. Jack Clancey's Fifth Grade Problems

Jack Clancey, a fifth grade teacher in Portland, explores the use of an integrated learning system to help his students learn basic skills.
 

Is Technology Just Technology?

In the two cases at the beginning of this section, two fifth grade teachers are exploring the use of technology. Some people think that, in the words of Dorothy Parker "A rose is a rose is a rose." But is that true when it comes to technology in the classroom? Do Jack and Jill have much in common in their approach to teaching? Is the way they use technology just a variation on a theme, or are there fundamental differences in the way they see both teaching and learning?

A fundamental assumption of this section is that there is nothing very special about technology. We cannot speak meaningfully in general terms about "using technology in the classroom." The ways Jack and Jill used the technology are so different that we must look for another way of organizing our discussions of technology use in the classroom. The differences between Jack and Jill are not unusual, they are typical. Technology use from classroom to classroom, from school district to school district, is so diverse that it would be hard to find anything that can be considered "common" across all the ways technology can be used. Explore some of the links below to see just how diverse technology use in classrooms can be. Some of the links are to educational software you can explore. Others are to lesson plans, or collections of lesson plans; others describe particular projects or ways of using technology in the classroom.

 
A Sampler of Educational Software:
 

A Sampler of Web Sites:
 

Some Questions About the Programs You Explored

In the discussion section of this electronic book, there are "strands" for many topics. One strand, called "What Are The Differences?", is a place where you can read the comments of other students about these programs, and add your own. For the programs and educational experiences you explored, what do you see as the major differences between them? You may want to organize your thoughts around four questions: What roles would a teacher play? What roles would the students play? What is the purpose of the software or technology used? And, finally, what is the purpose of the lesson? If you are ready to read other students' comments, and add your own, click the icon below to jump to the discussion section:

Jump to the Discussion Section

A Way of Thinking About Diverse Uses of Technology

There are plenty of ways to divide up or categorize the way technology is used in the classroom. You could, for example, divide things up in terms of the technology used: computer, laserdisk, modem/phone line, and so on. Or you could categorize things according to the type of software used: word processing, database, spreadsheet, tutorial, and so on. Neither of these ways of organizing technology uses highlights the critical, or fundamental, differences in the ways technology is used in schools.

One way that does get at fundamental differences focuses on the learning and instructional theories that can guide practice. In this section, four families of theories will be explored. The emphasis will be on

• the overview of the theories
• the general implications of the theories
• the types of instruction you are likely to see in classrooms that use the theory

The four families are:
 
 

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