Cynthia Vaskis

SLM521 3/1/04

Article #1 review

Snyder, David Pearce (2004). A look at the future. American School Board Journal (ASBJ), January 2004. Retrieved February 13, 2004, from http://www.asbj.com/2004/01/0104technologyfocus.html

The article “A Look at the Future” describes a growing problem of staffing the public school system with qualified teachers while trying to meet recently implemented government standards for teacher accreditation. The No Child Left Behind Act requires only qualified teachers by the year 2006 so that many non-degreed teachers (about 28 percent) may have to leave the teaching field. A major shortage of qualified teachers is predicted by the year 2010 since the rate of teachers leaving the field through retirement, or changing careers, will far exceed the incoming rate of teachers. America has been known to solve its problems through ingenuity and technology and may empower the teaching field by incorporating computers and Internet resources into the classroom.

School administration and classroom operations will change through the use of Internet technology. The traditional teacher directed classroom may be transformed into a contextual learning environment where the students perform more independent research tasks in order to better utilize the computer and web based resources available. With the addition of broad band, or high-speed access, to the Internet, distance learning through online instruction is possible. Many school operational costs can be reduced by ordering supplies online. Computer resources across many school systems can be more fully utilized by installing “grid computing” software. Through online utility programs (Globus), an open-source software system (LINUX), and wireless Internet access (WI-FI), schools, businesses and families can enjoy free Web access and software. Advanced Internet communications software (Peer-To-Peer or PTP) allows file and application transfers between personal computers. Instant Messaging (IM) software permits real time conversations between online users.

The Internet, as a global school house, will open the way to reinvent teaching methods because of the wide selection of subject matter and provide a view of other cultures not normally encountered. Students will work independently to research topics rather than receive information from their teachers. Internet technology appears to be a cost effective, viable substitute for teacher assistance yet teachers will still need to evaluate student progress and provide suggestions for improvement.

An area of Artificial Intelligence (AI) computer programming called Expert Systems, where a human’s expertise is encoded in object-oriented rules and knowledge templates, should be explored to provide personalized instructional assistance. Although human intuition is necessary to identify special learning disabilities, tutoring expert systems could help solve many common learning problems.