Automate or Informate

• Doug makes the distinction between using technology to automate things we already do like grade books, drill and practice, information access, and lectures, and using technology to informate. This means you use it to do new things like sending email to parents whenever a student receives a failing grade, using online tests to let the teacher know precisely which skills individual students need to learn, using multimedia production tools for constuctivist-based learning projects, and allowing students to learn anything, anytime, any place. The rest of this chapter is devoted to checklists you can use to see how well your school is prepared to use technology. The areas of focus are infrastructure, administration, available resources, how well teachers are prepared, and how well student needs are met. This includes a look a jobs that are no longer available thanks to modern technology and offshoring.

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