Oversold & Underused, L. Cuban (2000)
Final Blog

In the third and final section of this book, Cuban explores the availabilityand use of technologies at universities, specifically Stanford University, located in the Silicon Valley area. The outcomes of this exploration mirror those of preschool, kindergarten, and high school outcomes with regard to technology in classrooms; there was a huge push in the early 1990’s to “wire” classrooms, there was the expectation that technology would hugely influence pedagogy (for the better), and high tech firms like Cisco and HP made lots of money.
“…survey results from Stanford still leave the strong, clear impression that most faculty are serious users of new technologies for their research, writing, and classroom preparation but infrequent and limited users of the same technologies in their daily teaching.” (p.129). These same results were found with regard to preschool, kindergarten, and high school faculty. Traditional methods of teaching have scarcely been influenced by new technologies.
Cuban investigates a variety of explanations for the lack of technological integration in classrooms. These are the theories of; a) slow-revolution, b) external contexts of teaching (e.g. historical, social, political), and c) contextual constraints, i.e. practical limitations within the school.
As the title suggests, and Cuban summarizes “When it comes to higher teacher and student productivity and a transformation in teaching and learning, however, there is little ambiguity. Both must be tagged as failures. Computers have been oversold and underused, at least for now.” (p.179)

Oversold & Undeused (Cuban, L. 2001) Technology Use in High Schools and Universities

In chapters three and four of Oversold & Underused (Cuban, L. 2001) the accessibility and use of computers at the high school and college level are explored. In these chapters, Cuban’s goal is to answer two questions: 1) To what degree are high school and university instructors using computers in their teaching? And, 2) To what degree have instructors truly integrated technology into their teaching?
Cuban’s research takes place at two high schools in the Silicon Valley and Stanford University, which the author describes as “the intellectual capital of Silicon Valley.” Throughout these chapters, Cuban references national data on technology access and use in schools, comparing his data with that of national trends.
At the two high schools that were investigated by Cuban and his colleagues, their data shows that access to computers has increased greatly since the early 1990’s, but usage and modes of usage have not kept pace. In other words, high schools have media centers, computers, hard-wiring, software, etc., but they are underused. School districts have spent millions on acquiring the tools for increased technology use, but little on their application. At the two schools studied, computer usage for tasks other than word processing was minimal. Cuban estimates that, at most, five percent of students in these two schools were accessing and utilizing available technologies to their full potential. Furthermore, those teachers that were using new technologies in their classrooms typically maintained their core teaching practices. The use of computers was an adjunct to their current systems and practices. Teachers did not use new technology to alter their practices.
Cuban discusses the value of student-centered learning as an educational philosophy and style. Of the few teachers who did truly integrate new technologies into their teaching, they said that they “now organized their classes differently, lectured less, relied more on securing information from sources other than the textbook, gave students more independence, and acted more like a coach than a performer on stage. In short, they said that in using technology they had become more student-centered in their teaching; they had made fundamental changes in their pedagogy” (p. 95). As this is the current trend in teacher education for pre-service and in-service teachers, I believe that this use of technology is a goal worth striving for.
In his exploration of technology use at Stanford University, Cuban obtains results similar to those of high schools. After much hoopla and fanfare, technology usage in teaching at universities has changed little. The vast majority of instructors continue to rely on and use a straight lecture format for instruction in undergraduate courses and the seminar format for graduate instruction. Again, billions of dollars have been spent for computers, wiring, software, and technical support, but this influx of funds and machinery has had very little impact on instruction.
In the final two chapters of his book, Cuban discusses the outcomes of his research and explores the question, “Are computers in schools worth the investment?” Should make for thought provoking reading and interesting blogging. Tune in May 28th.

"Oversold and Underused" Part I

Oversold and Underused (2001) by is written by Larry Cuban, an Education Professor at Stanford University. As expressed by the title, Cuban purports that new technologies in classroom settings, such as computers, are underused and when they are utilized that use lacks creativity.
In the book’s introduction, Cuban discusses the history of educational technology in the United States, the politics of education in California, school reform, and the forces that led the drive to incorporate current technologies into classrooms. Not surprisingly, there was much support from technology business leaders, such as IBM and America OnLine.
In the first chapter of the book Cuban gives a brief history of California and more specifically, the Silicon Valley. He makes the obvious comparison of the California gold rush and the birth of the high tech industry in the Silicon Valley. He describes the physical setting of the Silicon Valley and explains how and why specific schools were chosen to be a part of the research for this book. The introduction and first chapter set a clear background and context for the data and text that follow.
In chapter two, Cuban researches the use of computers in preschool and kindergarten classrooms located in the Silicon Valley. Cuban combines factual information along with the anecdotal which makes for an interesting and enjoyable read. He cites and references experts in the field of early childhood education, such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and Jean Piaget, which lends credibility to his perceptions and understandings of early childhood programs.
In this chapter, he specifically discusses the integration (or lack thereof) of computers and technology in the early childhood classrooms in his sample. He examines the assumption that availability and access to computers naturally leads to optimum use of computers in education. This brings to mind how the term “integration” has been used so frequently with regards to schools and education. When schools were racially integrated in the 1950’s, 60’s, 70’s, and so on, they were passively integrated. By this I mean there wasn’t a pro-active approach to integration. Educators and communities believed that by simply combining various racial groups, integration would be achieved. This same phenomenon occurred with the restructuring of special education and continued even after IDEA was passed. Simply combining students with special needs and typically developing students did not create “integrated classrooms.” One cannot simply open up the roof of a school and “drop in” people or objects and hope for the best. Integration is an active process. One that includes education and experiences for all involved.
Cuban would agree with this view with regard to computers in schools. In a frenzy (created by whom?) the proverbial roofs of schools were opened up (by IBM and Intel?) and computers were dropped in. With a quick brush of the hands and a feeling of satisfaction, computers and technology had been integrated into public schools throughout the country. Now what? More to come on May 14th…