When I asked my friend in Jordan about how her school innovated teaching and learning activities, she replied to me that her school was equipped a range of new computers and she believed that with such computers, her school could innovate teaching and learning activities. Computers with an internet connection could transform the teaching and learning process towards creativity and innovation.
Although my friend might be somewhat true, I did not think that technology was all for innovation in teaching and learning. Technology just supports teaching and learning activities, but only teachers can conduct the innovation needed in the teaching and learning process.
Technology is not the direct source of innovation in teaching and learning since innovation refers to the application of creative ideas in the teaching and learning process (Eraut, 1975). Only people who are owners of such creative ideas and/or users of such creative ideas can apply them into practice. They may involve technology to support the application of ideas (Hew & Brush, 2007). For example, teachers may adopt project-based learning strategies in their teaching activities and this strategy can be implemented well if classrooms have computers with an internet connection to support students to search for data. However, without computers with internet connection, this strategy can be still implemented with projects which do not require the use of internet to collect data. In this case, students can use books/journals, etc. in their school library to collect information. Consequently, creative ideas in teaching from teachers can be still applied in practice. The innovation in teaching and learning still exists.
However, if so, another question may arise. If teachers can still innovate their teaching process without technology support, why is technology advancement critical and do schools still spend for technology?
Technology still plays a critical role in schools since it helps teachers to organize their teaching and learning activities more effectively. The use of technology in teaching and learning is also attractive to students. Furthermore, it can help students to conduct self-study through inquiries proposed by teachers productively (Sandholtz, 1997). Therefore, schools still spend significant resources for advancing their school’s technology. In the other words, technology supports both teachers and students to achieve their teaching and learning goals faster, more efficiently, and more effectively.
The mentioned discussion, thus, shows that although technology is not the direct source of innovation, it can support well the innovation in teaching and learning. Therefore, besides the investment for technology, schools must consider the investment for teachers, who are owners and/or users of creative ideas, and create the environment that promotes the innovation of teachers in teaching and learning.
References
Eraut, M. (1975). Promoting Innovation in Teaching and Learning: Problems, Processes and Institutional Mechanisms. Higher Education, 4(1), pp. 13-26.
Hew, K. & Brush, T. (2007). Integrating Technology into K-12 Teaching and Learning: Current Knowledge Gaps and Recommendations for Future Research. Educational technology research and development, 55(3), pp. 223-252.
Sandholtz, J. (1997). Teaching with Technology: Creating Student-Centered Classrooms. Teachers College Press.