SIEI+Dongju+Lee

Social Institution: Education Interviews

**KIS places a lot of emphasis on technology (1:1 program, macbooks, technology projects, etc..). What effect is the exposure to technology having on the education here?**

Having interviewed Mr. Brightman for my project, I learned much about the role of technology at KIS.

Mr. Brightman personally believed that the initial reason KIS chose to begin the 1:1 program was to give the school and edge over other (older) international schools. As a school is also a business, he believed this to be a wise marketing choice, considering the increasing importance of technology in the modern world.

Regardless, he believes that teachers now see the benefits and the learning opportunities afforded by such a prevalence of technology. Having been strongly impacted by the book "The World is Flat", Mr. Brightman says he saw the importance of technological savviness in becoming successful. He uses technology in his classroom (almost on a daily basis) as a way to prepare students for the 21st century marketplace that they will be entering upon graduation, and to give KIS students an advantage over future classmates who have not experienced the 1:1 program.

One latent function that has risen from the implementation of the 1:1 laptop program at KIS is that teachers are also becoming more tech savvy. Mr. Brightman believes that the majority of teachers at KIS were more limited in their technological experience and knowledge, whereas now, many utilize it in the classroom comfortably. As teachers are experiencing the many benefits that come from an effective use of technology, they are transferring this knowledge to their students (a manifest function of education), who are now using their computers for more than just gaming or online-socialization.

The negative side to this latent function may also be the hidden curriculum of the 1:1 laptop program. By encouraging and emphasizing the use of technology, even in the classroom, KIS may be limiting socialization among individuals. Too much use in the classroom may be diminishing the relationship between teacher and student, student and student. We are replacing face-to-face interaction for Skype, email, instant messaging, and other methods enabled by having personal, portable computers. Though KIS students may be at an advantage later, as a result of their experience and exposure to such technology, we cannot allow it to limit or neglect human interaction.

Mr. Brightman has been teaching for 8 years in 4 different schools, as well as at the college level. Having taught private school in the US as well as international schools in Kobe, Japan and Frankfurt, Germany he has stated that none of his previous schools used technology to the extent that KIS does. When asked whether he thought that the 1:1 program would have the same effect on the student body or quality of education, as it has at KIS, he answered that it would depend largely on how the program was designed and carried out.

As there has been no concrete statement made by the administration about the purpose of the macbooks, this has led to different interpretations of the 1:1 program.

The lack of dialogue between the faculty and administration about the tech policy explains the differences in classroom tech usage. A negative consequence of this seems to be that the macbooks are being overused or misused, because teachers feel obligated to use the macbooks for the sake of using them.

**Questions asked:**

How many schools have you taught at, before KIS? (public or private, in what countries)

How long have you been teaching?

What do you think is the purpose of having the 1:1 system at KIS?

What effect do you think the laptop program has had on the student body and the quality of education here?

Has any other school you have taught at involved technology to the degree KIS does?

Do you think that if the 1:1 program were implemented at any of your previous school, it would have the same effect on the student body or the quality of education?

Why do you think there would be a difference (if any)/why do you think it would have a similar effect?

Do you think there is a hidden curriculum to having so much technology at KIS?

**Podcast:**

media type="file" key="Mr. Brightman Sociology Interview.mp3"

Dongju L, Sociology B