It’s an exciting time for education technology.

Every day we hear about school districts and universities eagerly exploring and creating technological resources that facilitate learning and improve performance. That’s the hope anyway.

But I’ve got to wonder: Are we using our new technology to do the same old things?

While reading through a university-level textbook the other day, I decided to check out its companion website. My browsing revealed practice quizzes, flash cards and games based on the text. Helpful? Perhaps to someone. But aren’t these online resources simply repackaging content that could easily be delivered in a low tech way?

Of course, many education technologies go well beyond repackaging the same old content. These leaders excel at introducing new formats and helpful functionality. Wikis allow students to collaborate in a way that would be difficult with a pen and paper. Smartboards integrate resources in a way regular whiteboards can’t.

But even these popular technology solutions won’t improve student performance unless they are oriented around proper learning goals. Like all learning tools, educational technologies must engage students’ curiosity, develop critical thinking skills, encourage good questions and cultivate effective communication proficiency.

Too many “innovative” technology solutions seem content finding interesting ways to teach students to memorize and parrot information.

As Harvard’s Tony Wagner says, you can have all the equipment and technology you want, but “if you don’t teach kids how to think, how to think beyond multiple choice, you’ve got a problem.”

Technology, by itself, cannot reform education. But, as we seek better ways to teach our students how to think and communicate effectively, technology may prove to be our greatest ally.

Meris Stansbury of eSchool News recently wondered how students’ reading and research habits have been influenced by our Google-centric culture.

She cites research commissioned by the British Library and the Joint Information Systems Committee that says:

[Web users] tend to seek information horizontally–meaning they skim, or bounce from page to page, without reading in depth and rarely return to a previous source. About 60 percent of electronic journal users view no more than three pages, the study found, and 65 percent never return.

The study also reveals statistics about students’ preference for web researching. For instance, 89 percent of college students use search engines to begin an information search, the study found–while only 2 percent start from a library web site.

Are students to blame for this? Or is it a design issue?

In my experience, students don’t use library web sites for research because they are more difficult to use. While libraries contain richer, more reliable information than Google, they aren’t designed as well. Students can’t find relevant data as quickly as they can with Google.

The depth of information a reader seeks is also a design issue.

Good designers can present large amounts of information in an intelligent way, that encourages users to read all of it. Perhaps students are skimming more because information sources aren’t designed to encourage in-depth reading.

Ask any student to compare/contrast their favorite textbook with their least favorite. I’ll bet each textbook presents the same amount of information. But the good textbook packages their data better.

Library web sites (and other rich sources of information) aren’t losing the popularity content because they have lots of data. They’re losing because they’re poorly designed.

Using video games in the classroom is nothing new.

Like most children of the ’80s, many of my earliest memories of using a computer involve “The Oregon Trail“. Developed by a student teacher to supplement his history class, The Oregon Trail allowed students to get a glimpse of life in 19th Century America while also teaching them budgeting, decision-making skills, and how to hunt for buffalo (or waste your time shooting squirrels).

Today, instructors are using more complex video games to teach students about the scientific method, physics, math and literacy. It’s a strategic move by educators who hope to capitalize on the popularity of video games (97% of teens ages 12-17 play computer, web, portable, or console games) and keep students engaged in the learning process.

Educational Games

In the same vein as Oregon Trail or Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? some gamemakers are designing video games with a specific educational purpose. MIT-based The Education Arcade’s newest game, Caduceus , is a puzzle game for tweens focused on logic, reason and creativity skills.

It’s also designed to promote compassion:

Caduceus is a key content element of a new pediatric medical research awareness…designed to help parents teach their children to care about others and believe they can make a difference.

Another gamemaker, Education Simulations, created “Real Lives 2007” to let students experience how people live in other countries. Based on real statistical data, the game randomly assigns the user an identity - such as a factory worker in Brazil or a policeman in Nigeria - and teaches them life skills while letting them explore the global community.

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