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.