I continually struggle with the reaction against technology in schools. I am less certain of research support for integrating technology using existing ways of assessing student learning than I am of a feeling of certainty that computers and the Internet are simply a basic part of life. I am of the opinion that education works best when it is authentic and sensitive to the realities of daily life.
I watched UND play basketball last night. It was billed as possibly the last ever meeting between the two major North Dakota universities. NDSU has decided to move the entire athletic program to division I and UND has decided not to make the same move. Like most major athletic rivalries this has become a part of life for all in the region. The transition has been the source of great controversy. Changing levels is difficult because of the need to find a suitable conference and the demands for significantly more revenue. NDSU wants to continue playing UND because the in-state rivalry would generate a good deal of money and of the need to find enough opponents to fill out the yearly schedule. UND is not interested — the inequity of playing teams with more scholarships available has to be considered when competing for national titles. Anyway, the presented situation has added a little more zest to what may be the final games between old rivals.
UND does have one Division I sport. For some reason, you are allowed to play division I hockey without having D I teams in other sports. This is a unique situation – UND has won the D-I national championship 7 times (I think) and has been at the top of the national rankings for the past 12 week.
Anyway, back to the common applications of technology. I am at the basketball games with Cindy and I say – “You know what would be really cool? What if during half times (there is both a women’s and men’s game), they put the Internet feed from the hockey game up on the jumbotrons. It would be cool to show some REAL division I sports.” Sure enough, at half time, they start running the feed from the Internet hockey broadcast through the giant stadium video systems. I guess great minds, or at least that “adolescent fan thing” in all of us work in the same way.
In the long run, it might not have been the best idea. UND lost two to Wisconsin and will not be at #1 next week.
Then I am at church this morning and the pastor starts his sermon. For some reason, he hauls in his office computer and a projector system and fires up PowerPoint.
Cindy and I start laughing – people give us funny looks. I starting looking around for some paper and fishing in my pocket for my “field pen” so I can take notes. Then we both automatically begin evaluating his style – needs to learn to use bullets, too many words in each heading, needs to locate the spell checker.
“You know,” Cindy says. “It is interesting to consider PowerPoint in a different setting. I think I actually have a better idea of the points he is trying to make. So many people complain about PowerPoint and we make fun of it, too. It does help make the main ideas easier to pick up.” We better stop whispering.
Let’s see – what was the point? I remember the message was about recognizing your “calling?” “What really matters to you? What are the things you keep coming back to? It is the commitment as much as the success. Follow your passion!”
I agree.
