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Book Review: Using Technology Wisely: The Keys to Success in Schools, the Uses of Blogs, a New Literacies Sampler

In Using Technology Wisely, Harold Wenglinsky sets out to study the worth or value of digital technology in education. He begins by discussing two opposing views of pedagogy: a didactic view (a traditional pedagogical approach whereby the teacher is viewed as ‘the sage on the stage’ transferring all knowledge to the students), and a constructivist view (a pedagogical approach whereby the teacher is viewed as ‘a guide on the side’ providing opportunities to facilitate the construction of knowledge in the student). Wenglinsky uses qualitative research findings to exemplify both approaches to technology use (i.e. didactic versus constructivist). Wenglinsky comes down squarely on the constructivists’ side, and this orientation frames the remainder of his analyses. Wenglinsky’s view of the constructivist approach to teaching revolves around the fact that learning is not linear, as viewed by practitioners of the didactic pedagogical approach (i.e. first x must be learned before y can be learned). That is, learning is a dynamic process whereby the learner is encouraged to engage in the analysis and synthesis of knowledge. Teachers practising a constructivist pedagogy are encouraged to customise their teaching in order to facilitate – rather than direct – students’ construction of knowledge. As part of this process, teachers ‘reframe’ concepts to assist each learner to see things from different perspectives in the search for knowledge. In contrast, within a didactic pedagogical approach, teachers merely present the ‘truth’ to students and count that as ‘learning’. If a learner ‘doesn’t get it’, the teacher merely repeats the facts until they are learned. In short, the student is not active in his/her learning. Wenglinsky emphasises that constructivist pedagogy acknowledges how students should think abstractly while at the same time be exposed to concrete examples from various relevant contexts. From this perspective, all learners will gain knowledge once the concept is ‘framed’ in a manner that is understood by each individual learner. It is up to the teacher to utilise the necessary tools (e.g. organise field trips, conduct experiments, create a slide show on computers, etc.) and provide the necessary contexts within which to solidify concepts being taught. In short, where the didactic approach merely hands facts and established ideas to students, the constructivist approach allows the students to do most of the work – mistakes included – in order to meet with success and go beyond basic understanding of concepts. The focus of the book centres on three key areas: • Issues to do with digital technology in the school system (primarily within the USA) • The manner in which technology is used by teachers in the classroom (pedagogy) • The subsequent results of student learning with the technology in schools