翻译《04 把技术用作学习工具，而不仅仅是新鲜玩具》

Using Technology as a Learning Tool, Not Just the Cool New Thing

把技术用作学习工具，而不仅仅是新鲜玩具

Ben McNeely

本·麦柯尼利

North Carolina State University

北卡罗莱纳州立大学

© Ben McNeely

版权所有(C)本·麦柯尼利

I fully realized the digital age when I first spoke to my grandparents over the "talk" feature on AOL Instant Messenger. How cool is it, I thought, to have grandparents that not only have a computer, but know how to use it? What was more striking was that my grandfather, a man who never had much formal technical education, built not one, but two, computers from parts—motherboard, disk drives, hard drives, and so forth—with the help of my cousin. He has high-speed Internet access, sends and receives e-mail, burns CDs, and chats online using IM. He even built a computer for my grandmother, who uses it to check the obituaries daily on the Winston-Salem Journal Web site and does online jigsaw puzzles. She can no longer do real ones, as the pieces are too small for her to see and grasp.

当我第一次用AIM 和爷爷奶奶对话的时候，我完全明白了什么是数字化时代。我想，爷爷奶奶不仅有计算机，还知道怎么用，这该有多酷？爷爷太出色了，从未接触过多少正式技术教育，但是在我堂兄弟的帮助下，一块主板一块硬盘的组装了两台计算机，还不是一台。他开通了宽带，收发电子邮件，刻录光盘，使用IM 在线聊天。他甚至为奶奶组装了一台计算机，奶奶用来查看《温斯顿塞勒姆日报》网站每天的讣告，也玩在线砌图游戏。他不再玩真实的砌图游戏，因为对他而言，已经看不清也拿不住木块了。

Growing Up with Technology

与技术一起成长

In kindergarten, I was introduced to the Apple II computer. We were herded into the library and seated in front of a big-screen television. There, the librarian demonstrated the computer and its uses. She even showed us a game: The Oregon Trail—arguably the most popular computer game of our generation. It was simple, informative, and interactive. I can't tell you how many times I got my wagon stuck in the mud or how many teammates I killed off with cholera or malaria.

在幼儿园时候，我接触到Apple II 计算机。我们被带到图书馆，坐在大屏幕电视机面前。图书管理员演示计算机如何工作及如何使用。他甚至向我们展示了《俄勒冈小道》游戏——可以说是我们这一代人最受欢迎的计算机游戏。它很简单，有情节，有互动。我无法告诉你，有多少次我的货车陷入泥泞，霍乱、疟疾害死了我多少队友。

For my classmates and me, computers were just tools to get things done. Mastery of technological skills was a way to show we were advancing further than our classmates. In middle school, my family bought our first home computer. We also were hooked up to the Internet for the first time. It was a dial-up connection, slow compared to the instantaneous broadband speeds nowadays, but nonetheless, we were surfing the Net.

对于我和我的同学，计算机只是做事情的工具。掌握技术技能只是证明自己比同学强的一种方式。中学时，家里买了第一台家用计算机。我也第一次上网。当时还是拨号连接，与今天宽带的高速相比很慢，虽然如此，我还是开始上网冲浪了。

As a Boy Scout, my troop would participate in scout shows at the local mall. While other troops demonstrated traditional scouting skills, like pitching tents and lashing up towers, my troop set up a computer cluster and took digital pictures of people in the mall. Using Photoshop, we cut their images out of the pictures, placed them on backgrounds of their choosing, and gave them printouts.

作为一名童子军，我的童子军小队要参加在本地商场举行的童子军演出。其他小队展示了传统童子军技能，比如支帐篷、吊吊床，我们小队搭建了一套计算机集群，拍下商场中所有人的数码相片。利用PS，我们挖出人像，把他们放入他们选择的背景中，然后打印出来。

My brother, a senior in high school, now uses WebAssign to complete homework problems for chemistry class. A Web-based learning application developed at North Carolina State University (NCSU), WebAssign is used across disciplines as a way for teachers to assess their students and offer supplemental information outside the lecture. He even applied to college using an online application.

我弟弟，今年高三，现在使用WebAssign 来完成化学课的家庭作业。这是北卡罗莱纳州立大学（NCSU）开发的一套基于网页的学习程序，可以跨学科使用。教师可以用来评估他们的学生，可以补充课堂之外的附加信息。他甚至可以用于已经上网了的高校。

As a member of the Net Generation, I have been surrounded by advances in digital technology, almost to the point where I cannot do my work as a journalist without it. In university, I have used assessment tools such as WebAssign and WebCT in classes as supplements to lecture and textbook. But now technology is advancing at such a rate that traditional ways of teaching and learning are not pushing students and teachers to their full potential. By using IT properly in the classroom, teaching and learning are enhanced and given a new dimension. Before curricula can be created to challenge the Net Generation, though, faculty must know how Net Geners learn and interact with each other, with technology, and with life in general. Remember that word—interact.

作为一名网络世代，我一直紧跟数码技术的发展，几乎到了没有数码技术就没法干我的记者工作的地步。大学期间，我在课堂上使用WebAssign 和WebCT 等评估工具，补充讲义和课本的不足。由于现在技术的发展速度非常快，传统的教学方法已经不能发掘学生和教师的全部潜质。通过在课堂上恰当使用信息技术，教和学都能得到提高，并为教育赋予了新的内涵。话虽如此，在课程足够挑战网络世代之前，教师必须知道网络世代一般如何在与他人互动、学习、如何与技术互动、学习、如何在日常生活中互动、学习。记住这个词：互动。

How the Net Gen Learns

网络世代如何学习

Are you interested in knowing how Net Geners learn? Let me illustrate using my friends, me, and my grandfather.

你有兴趣了解网络世代是如何学习的么？让我用我的朋友、我本人以及我爷爷的故事向你解释。

Learning by Doing

做中学

Patrick Clarke, graphics editor for a student newspaper, sits down at a computer and launches Adobe InDesign. He opens a template for the news page and pulls in graphics, pictures, and text. He manipulates the blocks on the virtual newspaper page, moving back and forth between two other Adobe products, Photoshop and Illustrator. By the time the page is sent to the printer for printing, the elements on the page would have been manipulated, edited, and reedited at least a dozen times. Patrick is a creative and dynamic designer, but he is not a design major—he's in computer engineering.

帕特里克·克拉克，学生报纸的图片编辑，坐在计算机前，正在运行Adobe InDesign 。他打开一份新闻页面的模板，填入图形、像片和文字。他在虚拟的新闻页面上摆布版块，在其他两个Abode 产品Photoshop 和 Illustrator 之间来回切换。在页面送往打印之前，页面上的元素都会被摆布、编辑、修改不下十余次。帕特里克是一个富有创造性和活力的设计师，但他不是设计专业出身，他读的是计算机工程。

Chris Reynolds is a business major and wants to open a music store when he graduates. In his spare time, he is a DJ musician. He spins and mixes his own beats, using a computer, sound-editing software, turntables, and a keyboard. He teamed up with a friend to make a how-to video on spinning. They used digital video and professional editing software to create the video. Because he is a DJ, he worries about court cases involving the music industry. A recent case where the use of "sampling" was ruled illegal hit him hard, as sampling is widely used by DJs when they create their music.

克里斯·雷诺兹读的是贸易专业，打算毕业后开一家音乐商店。空闲的时候，他是一名DJ作曲家。他使用计算机、音频编辑软件、转盘、键盘制作并混音节拍。他与朋友配合，制作了一段如何转盘的入门视频。他们使用数码摄像机和专业编辑软件制作者份视频。由于他是DJ，他很关心音乐界的法律官司。最近一例案子，“使用片段”被判非法，这让他很难受，因为DJ在创作音乐的时候普遍使用别人乐曲片段。

Jake Seaton is a big arts and entertainment fan. He lives and breathes for music, movies, and anything Hollywood. He can tell you about film and music history and can quote even the most obscure lines from zombie movies (his favorite). He also is up-to-date on the latest in computer and console gaming. He chose a multidisciplinary degree in music journalism and has taken distance-education courses. In high school he won a state architecture award and has taught himself to use Photoshop and InDesign.

杰克·希顿，艺术与娱乐的深度爱好者。他为音乐、电影和好莱坞的所有东西而活。他可以告诉你电影和音乐的历史，甚至可以引用最晦涩的僵尸电影（他的最爱）的台词。他还时刻关心计算机游戏和电子游戏的最新动态。他选择音乐新闻学这个跨学科学位，也在上远程教育课程。高中时候，他赢得了全州建筑奖，并自学Photoshop 和 InDesign 。

These are representatives of the Net Generation. They all use computers in their class work and in their hobbies. They have a wide range of interests, outside their chosen area of study. They are not locked into one thing, although all are highly motivated and pursue their interests with passion. They use the latest in technology, whether cell phones, computers, PDAs, MP3 players, or digital cameras. They expect things to work properly and work fast. They get bored if not challenged properly, but when challenged, they excel in creative and innovative ways. They learn by doing, not by reading the instruction manual or listening to lectures. These are the learners that faculty must reach.

他们都代表了网络世代。他们都在学习工作和娱乐爱好中使用计算机。他们兴趣广泛，超出学习领域。尽管每一件事情都非常刺激，吸引着他们的兴趣和激情，但是他们并不拘泥于某一件事。无论是手机、计算机、PDA、MP3 播放器、数码相机，他们都使用技术最新的。他们期待所有事情都正常而快速的工作。如果没有挑战他们会觉得很无聊。遇到挑战，他们很擅长以创新的方式解决。他们通过实践来学习，而非阅读说明书、聆听讲座。他们都是教师必须去理解的学习者。

When I first came to NCSU in 2000, I came to a public university dedicated to technology. There were numerous computer labs all over campus, and professors actively used assessment tools like WebAssign and WebCT in their classes. In an experimental psychology class, I used SAS statistical software to crunch data I collected from experiments. I used online message boards to post ideas and criticism in my opinion/editorial writing class.

2000年，我第一次来到NCSU，我发觉来到一所致力于技术的公立大学。无数计算机实验室遍布校园，教授在课堂上积极使用WebAssign 和 WebCT 等评估工具。在实验心理学课上，我使用SAS 统计软件分析我在试验中收集到的数据。我在网上公告栏上张贴编辑写作课上的思路、见解。

In my technical document design class, I experienced the best use of technology in a class: hands-on, experimental, and interactive. This course covered the fundamental designs of technical documents: instruction manuals, memos, resumes, and so forth. Taught in a computer lab, the class sat one student to a computer. We learned to use Adobe Pagemaker, the most popular desktop publishing program at the time. With basic exercises from the instructor and trial-and-error assignments with broad guidelines, I learned not only how to use the program but also design fundamentals—by doing the actual design, not by reading it out of a book.

在我的技术文档设计课上，我体验到技术在课堂上的最佳运用：动手、试验、互动。该课程涵盖了技术文档的基本设计：说明书、备忘录、履历等等。该课程在计算机实验室授课，安排一人一机。我们学习使用Adobe Pagemaker，时下最流行的桌面排版软件。从课堂上的基本练习，到在宽泛指导下的课外不断摸索，而不是从书中读来。

This is how the Net Generation learns: by doing. Many of my peers have emerged as the leaders of my generation. They will go on to become the leaders of our nation in many different roles—politicians, business executives, artisans, scientists, and journalists. Much like how we learn by doing, we lead by doing; that is, by practicing the art and science of our chosen paths.

这就是网络世代的学习方式：做中学。我的许多伙伴已经成为我们这一代人的领袖人物。他们将继续成为国家诸多领域的领袖人物——政治家、商业主管、熟练工匠、科学家、记者。正如我们在实践中学习那样，我们也在工作中领导。这就是，实践我们所选道路的科学和技术。

Human Interaction

人际互动

Generational differences in learning techniques are apparent in how people of different ages approach technology. It has been said that we, the Net Generation, are closer to our grandparents—the Greatest Generation—in our work ethic and optimism about the future than to our parents' generation. But how we approach problems is totally different.

不同年纪的人处理技术的方式，体现了两代人不同的学习技巧。有人说，我们网络世代，在职业道德和对未来的乐观上，远比我们的父辈更像我们的祖辈——伟大的一代。但是我们处理问题的方式完全不同。

My grandfather is a tinkerer—he figures out how things work by trial and error. He is very mechanically inclined and has spent his life working on many kinds of machinery. But when it comes to computers, he approaches it one thing at a time, step by step.

我的祖父是一名修补匠，他找出事物运作机制的方法是反复尝试。他非常喜欢机械，他全身心的投入到各种机械上。涉及到计算机的时候，他一次处理一个问题，循序渐进。

Every time I come home from college, he has a new problem for me to fix on his computer. He will fiddle and fiddle with a program until he is befuddled. Usually it is because he missed a step somewhere. If I show him and write down steps, he takes the information I've given him and works it out for himself. Even though the computer's parts are more complex than a carburetor or gear drives, the skills my grandfather used to put it together came from decades of tinkering with machines. He still uses a step-by-step thinking process used in mechanical arts to figure out software and basic functions like e-mail and Internet browsing.

我每次从大学回家，他的计算机上总有新问题需要我解决。他会一直拨弄问题，直到完全糊涂。通常是因为他在某处少执行一步。我给他演示一遍，把步骤写下来，他就能够以葫芦画瓢自己做出来。尽管计算机零部件远比化油器或者齿轮传动更复杂，但我祖父组装计算机的技能，却来自数十年修补机器的经验。坚持使用机械时代的循序渐进流程找出软件的基本功能，比如电子邮件、上网浏览。

Similarly, Patrick sits down with a new piece of design software and tinkers with its features. "Usually, if it is from a software company I know, I can figure out a new program easily," he said. He has fundamental knowledge about how certain software should work. By tinkering, he can figure out shortcuts and pick up the gist of the program quickly.

同样，帕特里克开始使用一款新的设计软件，胡乱尝试各种功能。他说：“通常，如果我知道开发它的软件公司，我会更容易掌握新程序。”他掌握了某种软件工作方法的基本知识。通过尝试，他能掌握快捷键，很快从整体上掌握程序。

Even though Patrick uses step-by-step problem-solving skills, he also is pulling information from his own memory, experience, and base knowledge to master the new program. Patrick has had almost two decades of experience working with computers—almost to the point that it is second nature. My grandfather, on the other hand, has only had about five years of computer experience. Because they have been wired since grade school, Net Geners are likely to grasp technological concepts faster.

尽管帕特里克使用循序渐进的解决问题技能，但他也从记忆经验和基本知识当中寻找信息，摸索新程序。帕特里克几乎有二十年的计算机使用经验——使用计算机几乎成了他的第二本能。另一方面，我的祖父，只有五年的计算机使用经验。由于网络世代从小学起就接触上网，他们理解技术概念会更快。

But the same "tinkering" practice applies in the classroom: doing hands-on work and working in groups, students get a better grasp of concepts the professor is trying to teach. Using technology only enhances the hands-on experience; it does not—and cannot—replace human interaction. There's that word again.

由于“摸索”方法同样可以用于课堂：小组合作，做实践工作，学生能更好的理解教授正在教授的概念。使用技术只能增强实践经验，使用技术不应该也不可能替换人际互动。又提到互动这个词了。

Interaction, not Isolation

要互动，不要孤立

Distance education is the popular option for nontraditional learners. With many traditional industries such as manufacturing and textiles going offshore, 20-year veterans of the workplace are being laid off and going back to school to learn a new trade. Distance education—through Internet and video courses—helps those who have to work a job and go to school at the same time better schedule their learning opportunities. These people are usually older, in their 30s or 40s, and are learning to use technology, like the Internet and computers, while training for a new career. In theory, the Net Generation should learn better through Internet courses because they have been surrounded by computers all their lives and know how to use the technology already.

远程教育是非传统学习者的热门选择。由于许多传统行业，诸如制造业、纺织业，都转移海外，二十年工龄的熟练工人被解雇，回到学校学习新手艺。远程教育——通过互联网和电视课程——帮助那些有工作、同时要进学校的人，更好的规划学习机会。这些人通常年纪比较大，三四十岁，在为新职业接受培训，学习互联网和计算机之类的技术。理论上，通过网络课程，网络世代应该学得更好，因为他们生活中充满了计算机，而且他们已经知道如何使用技术。

Just the opposite is true. Net Geners like the social interaction that comes with being in class with their peers. While they may use technology in their daily lives, relationships are a driving force in the learning process.

事实上正好相反。网络世代喜欢与班上的伙伴进行社会互动。虽然他们可能在日常生活中使用技术，但是他们学习过程的驱动力却是人际关系。

Jake Seaton, as a part of his multidisciplinary degree, took a video course through distance education—and didn't like it. "I needed the structure of going to class. I would go to my other classes and then come home and have another class to watch on TV," he said. "I didn't like it. At the end of the day, I wanted to be done, not have to work at a class at home."

杰克·希顿，选择了一门远程教育的电视课程，作为他跨学科学位的一部分，但是他不喜欢这门课。他说：“我需要走进教室。我在教室上一些课程，然后回家看电视上另外的课程，我不喜欢。我希望一天结束的时候什么都结束，不想在家还要上课。”

This is typical among Net Geners: learning through social interaction is important. Feedback from the professor is vital, and working in groups is the norm. Arman Assa, MBA candidate and president of PackMUG—the Mac Users Group at NCSU—said that learning technology has not advanced enough to replace the social interaction in the classroom. "Historically, communal learning has always been the most effective way for educating the student and generating thought-provoking discussion in class. I don't believe technology has reached a point where we can duplicate that effectively on a computer," Assa said. "Some instructors argue that chat rooms, message boards, and instant messaging are good substitutes, but they are by no means replacements for the exchange of tacit knowledge.

这在网络世代中很典型：通过社会互动进行学习，非常重要。教授的反馈至关重要，小组工作则是必不可少。阿尔曼·阿萨，在读工商管理硕士，PackMUG（NCSU 苹果用户小组）负责人，表示，教学技术还不足以取代教室中的社会互动。他说：“从历史上看，社区学习始终是教育学生、激发课堂上的发人深省的讨论的最有效方法。我不相信技术能够让我们在计算机上重复这一切，某些教师认为，聊天室、论坛、实时通讯，是很好的替代品，但这些绝不意味着可以取代隐性知识交流。”

"Does this mean that interactive technology is bad for the classroom? No. It means that it should simply augment what is already there," Assa continued. "For instance, one of my human resource classes in the MBA [program] has regular classroom discussion, but the instructor augments it with message board interaction. It was a very effective tool for helping introverts who don't talk in class to join the discussion."

阿萨继续说道：“这是否意味着互动技术不适合教室？不，这意味着它只应该对已有事物起到增强作用。举例来说，我工商管理硕士课程的一个人力资源课程，定期举行课堂讨论，教师使用公告板来增强讨论。对于那些性格内向、不愿在班级讨论中开口的人，这是一个非常有效的工具。”

Cut-and-Paste Culture

复制粘贴文化

Technology is everywhere. Net Geners cannot remember a time in their education where a computer was not used for some learning experience. Because of this "tech-savviness," traditional educational practices and ethics are coming into question. Cheating, for example, always a major academic infraction, is on the rise on college campuses—and technology is helping with cheating. Talk to students and any one of them will tell you that cheating is prevalent and part of the culture, especially in technical disciplines. That is, if you use the strict definition of cheating.

技术无处不在。网络世代记不住他们在教育中把计算机用于学习体验之外的时刻。由于这种“技术精明”，传统的教学训练和教育道德正在受到质疑。比如，在大学校园，舞弊，始终都是重大的学术违规，现在正在增多——技术正在协助舞弊。只要问问学生，任何一个都会告诉你，舞弊很盛行，是当今文化的一部分，特别是在技术学科——如果你要严格定义舞弊的话。

NCSU uses WebCT and WebAssign extensively. Since a faculty member cannot directly supervise students and only the answers are recorded in WebAssign, not how the student came up with them, students often work together on their assignments. But students must submit their own answers. In computer engineering, students must write a program and submit it as a part of learning different coding languages. Patrick says these programs are worked over with a fine-tooth comb. "The TAs and instructors run the programs line-by-line to see if any code was copied," he said. "There may be opportunity to cheat, but you will get caught." He adds that there is not much opportunity to cheat during exams.

NCSU 广泛使用WebCT 和WebAssign。由于教师不能直接监督，只能看到记录在WebAssign 的学生答案，而不是学生得到答案的过程，因此学生往往共同完成功课。但学生又必须提交自己的答案。在计算机工程课上，学生必须写一段程序，作为学习不同的编码语言功课的一部分提交。帕特里克说，这些程序要经过篦子梳一遍。他说：“教师和助教逐行运行这些程序，看是否有代码是拷贝来的。可以作弊，但会被抓住。”他补充说，在考试的时候没有多少机会舞弊。

Plagiarism is the academic infraction of choice. How can it not be, though? Information is easily available from the Internet, especially from sites like Wikipedia. Old term papers are being sold online. Because the Internet provides easy information fast, the temptation to click "copy/paste" and pull in quotes from a Web site without attribution is great. But students still get caught because faculty members can search for familiar phrases or quotes to root out plagiarism.

剽窃，是精心准备的学术违规。怎样才能消除剽窃？信息，很容易从网上找到，特别是在维基百科之类的网站上。旧的学期论文正在网上销售。由于互联网能提供方便快捷的信息，点击复制粘贴，从网站上不加署名的引用文章，诱惑非常大。但是学生仍然会被抓，因为教师能够搜索熟悉的词汇或引文，找出哪些是剽窃的。

Cheating is on the rise in universities. Is it because students aren't learning the material? Or is it because their learning and work ethic are so different from their professors that working together to solve a problem is no longer that serious an infraction? Remember that teamwork has been emphasized to Net Geners since the first day of kindergarten. Businesses are also looking for graduates who can work effectively in teams.

在高校，作弊不断增多。是因为学生没有研究素材？或者是因为他们的学习道德和职业道德，和跟他们一起解决问题的教授完全不同，以至于不再把违规当回事？记住，从上幼儿园第一天开始，网络世代就一直受到团队合作的教育。企业也在寻找能够开展有效团队工作的毕业生。

Based on the very social nature of Net Geners and the tremendous amount of information available to students these days at the touch of a button, the traditional definition of cheating is changing. How faculty assess students is changing as well. Faculty still give written exams (in English, it is still a certainty), but they must be ever more vigilant to catch the cheating student. Cell phones and text messaging have allowed students to text back and forth between each other, conferring through the airwaves on exam questions. Because of emerging technologies, faculty are having to adapt their classes and how they assess students in order to uphold academic integrity.

基于网络世代高度社会性特征，以及学生如今只要按下鼠标就能获得海量信息的现状，舞弊的传统定义正在发生改变。教师对学生的评价也正在改变。教师仍然给出书面考试（在语文课，肯定是的），但是他们必须加倍警惕，防止学生舞弊。手机和短信帮助学生彼此传送文字，通过电波商量考试题。由于新技术的出现，教师不得不调整课堂，调整他们评价学生的方式，以维护学术的正直。

Challenges for Higher Education

高等教育面临的挑战

So what do Net Geners want from learning technology? Interactivity—whether it is with a computer, a professor, or a classmate. They want it; they crave it. Traditional lectures are not fulfilling the learning potential of typical students today. Distance education and online courses don't work well with Net Geners—the social component of learning is required. As technology in the classroom progresses, more and more students are going to demand it be included. This will pose challenges, though.

那么，网络世代想从学习技术得到什么？互动——不拘是和计算机还是教授、同学。他们需要互动，他们渴望互动。传统课堂并不能开发今日典型学生的学习潜力。远程教育和在线课程在网络世代这里行不通——缺少了学习的社交部分。随着技术在课堂上的进展，越来越多学生要求课堂中使用技术。但这会对学校构成挑战。

Funding

资金

First, technology costs money. What else is new? Faculty members can receive grants for using technology in the classroom and developing new learning technologies. This is fine on the department level, but for a university to implement learning technology on a massive scale will take an act of Congress. State legislatures are listening and meeting the basic technological needs for public universities. But it takes bond referendums for state-of-the-art classrooms in order to implement technology on a university level. And bonds are paid by the taxpayers because the referendums are voted upon by the taxpayers. No vote, no bonds. So it goes, I suppose.

首先，技术很烧钱。另外，什么才是最新的？教师能够获得拨款，以帮助在教室中使用技术、开发新的学习技术。这在系部一级很好，但是对于大学试图在大范围内实施学习技术，需要以通过议案的形式。各州议会正在聆听并满足公立大学的基本技术需求。对于发行在大学级别上部署最先进技术教室的债券，还需要投票表决。由于投票是由纳税人表决的，因此债券需要纳税人支付。没有表决，没有债券。我想，如此而已。

Access and Skills

机会与技能

Second, students need to be able to use the technology. In North Carolina, students must pass a computer competency test in the eighth grade before being promoted to high school. They are tested on the most fundamental computer skills: word processing, creating a spreadsheet, using Web browsers, and e-mail. Beyond that, students either pick up skills on their own, take a class outside the primary educational setting—say at a community college or library—or don't learn at all. Users—even Net Geners—will only learn so much when operating a computer. The average student will use a computer for homework, online chatting, checking e-mail, and surfing the Internet. The more advanced users will know how to write a simple Web page, update a ready-made blog site, or download music and movies—perhaps illegally—and burn CDs. But for the most part, users have no knowledge about how to set up a local area network or how to troubleshoot their own computer for minor problems.

其次，学生必须能够使用这种技术。在北卡罗来纳州，学生必须通过计算机资格测试八级才能升入高中。测试的是最基本的计算机技能：文字处理、创建电子表格、使用网页浏览器、电子邮件。除此之外，学生也可以参加正教育机构之外的班级——比如社区大学或者图书馆，学习自己需要的技能，或者什么都不学。用户——甚至网络世代——只需要学会操作计算机那么点东西。普通学生拿计算机用来做家庭作业、在线聊天、检查邮件、冲浪互联网。更高阶用户知道如何编写简单网页、更新现成的博客网站，下载音乐和电影——有可能是非法的——然后刻录光盘。但是对于大多数人，都不知道如何建立本地局域网，或者如何解决自己计算机的小问题。

On a more fundamental level, there is such a thing as a "digital divide." Technology is expensive, and the only way for some school systems to afford computer labs is if computers are donated. These computers often are refurbished and several years old. While they are useful in teaching fundamental skills, like those tested for in the North Carolina standardized computer test, they will not be able to support the latest technology. Once a computer or software is released on the market, it is usually replaced in 18 months. How can a Pentium II running Windows 95 properly prepare a high school or college student for the working world, which uses Windows XP? It can't. These computers ideally should be relatively up to date and able to provide students with not only fundamental skills but also the chance to learn intermediate and advanced skills as the "cool new thing" rolls out of the factory.

在更基本的层面上，有所谓的“数字化鸿沟”。技术是昂贵的，对于某些学校，所提供的计算机实验室，计算机都是捐赠的。这些计算机多是翻新数年前的。虽然可以用于教授基本技能，比如北卡罗来纳州标准化计算机测试所测试的技能，但是都不支持最新技术。市场上推出的计算机或者软件，通常会在十八个月后被取代。运行视窗九五的奔腾二代怎么能让高中大学生为职场做好准备——那里运行的都是视窗XP？不能。理想中，这些计算机都应该是最新的，不仅能为学生提供基本技能，也能够让他们学到中级和高级技能，例如刚出厂的“新奇玩意”。

There are students who cannot afford a personal computer in their homes and must rely on technology in their schools or local libraries. There are even students whose first real experience with technology will come when they go to college. How can they possibly survive in the high-tech college world if they don't know the basics?

有学生家里买不起个人计算机，必须依靠学校或当地图书馆的技术。甚至有学生进了大学才第一次真正体验到计算机技术。如果他们不掌握基本技能，他们怎么才能在这高科技高校世界存活下去？

Colleges need to teach students computer skills beyond fundamentals. Skills such as digital document archiving, Web page design using Dreamweaver or Flash, setting up wireless networks, and using a firewall are quickly becoming the norm, where in the past they were considered advanced knowledge. Even basic upkeep and troubleshooting is still left up to tech-support hotlines, often located halfway around the world. These are the skills students need to know to be competitive. Many colleges offer introductory courses in computer science that are available as electives in many disciplines. Updating the intro course curricula—or even the state standardized tests—will go a long way in fostering computer skills.

高校必须教会学生更高级的计算机技能。归档数码文档、使用Dreamweaver 或 Flash 设计网页，设置无线网络，使用防火墙，这些技能正在变成基本技能，过去这些都被认为是先进技术。世界上有一半的人，甚至连基本的维护和解决问题都需要技术热线来做。这些技能都是想要具有竞争力的学生需要知道的。许多高校提供计算机科学的入门课程，在许多专业都是选修课程。更新这些入门课程——甚至州级标准化测试——的内容，将会极大促进对计算机技能的培养。

While usability has gotten better as operating systems have progressed, you still hear comments like "I can't use a Mac, I use Windows," or "I only know how to word process on my computer, I can't use MS Word on a Mac." Even though the Net Generation learns quickly, the old adage "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" still applies. The inability to move between platforms—and the lack of accelerated fundamental skills—is a major hindrance to learning technology. The workforce is so competitive that the difference in knowing how to set up a simple network and basic computer troubleshooting over knowing just document preparation could mean a job down the road. It will be a challenge to overcome, but it isn't impossible.

虽然随着操作系统的发展，可用性越来越好，但是你依然会听到这样一些评论：“我不会使用苹果，我用的是视窗”或者“我只知道怎么在我计算机上处理文字，我不会用苹果机上的MS Word。”即便网络世代学得很快，但是老话“朽木不可雕”仍然在理。不能在平台之间移动——以及缺少速成的基本技能——是学习技术的主要障碍。

Interaction

互动

Third, technology must be relevant and interactive to the coursework. A faculty member who uses PowerPoint in a lecture is not using technology interactively. Students need a practical use for technology, whether to manipulate data or to explore the inner recesses of the human body without cutting up cadavers. Students need to communicate quickly with each other, but in a centralized manner. That is why message boards are great. Members-only message boards allow students and faculty to communicate with each other. Plus, faculty members can use the course lockers during lectures and provide information outside lecture for students to explore at their own pace.

第三，技术必须与课业挂钩并互动。教师在演讲的时候使用演示文稿，算不上交互的使用技术。学生需要用技术来实践，不管是处理数据还是在不解剖尸体的情况下探究人体内部。学生需要彼此快速沟通，但前提是集中管理。这就是留言板是个好东西的原因。需要注册成员的留言板可以让学生何老师彼此交流。另外，教师可以在讲课期间使用课程专用柜【按：网络硬盘】，提供课程之外的信息，帮助学生按照自己的步子探究。

Relevance

关联

Fourth, technology must be used for a practical purpose—that is, taking the fundamentals and technology learned over a semester and applying it to a final project, where creativity and uniqueness is required and rewarded. In my technical document design class, we had to create a useful technical document: write the text and design a technical document using Pagemaker. My group designed an instruction booklet for a video game. Chris Reynolds used his sound-editing software to help a friend with a music project. They wrote a short piece of music, recorded and edited it, and burned it to a CD for the professor to evaluate. Chris was excited because it gave him a chance to "play" with his software. While he doesn't use his music software in his business courses, he is learning skills that could be marketable after college. Plus, his friend got an "A" on the project.

第四，技术必须用于具体目的，即，运用学了一整学期的原理和技术，应用到期末设计，这里要求并奖励创造与独特。在我的技术文档设计课程中，我们需要创建一份有用的技术文档：写下文字，用Pagemaker 设计技术文档。我们小组为电子游戏设计了说明手册。克里斯·雷诺兹利用音频剪辑软件帮助朋友的音乐设计。他们制作了一小段音乐，录下来，然后编辑，最后刻录到光盘，交给教授评估。克里斯很兴奋，因为有了一个机会让他可以“玩”他的软件。虽然在他的商务课程中不能使用音乐软件，但是他学到了毕业后可以赚钱的技能。另外，他的朋友的设计得到了“优”

Using technology for some practical purpose, and not for the sake of using technology, must be the clear objective. "Students are often the guinea pigs in 'IT-enabled' classes as faculty test out whether the latest innovations actually help learning," Assa said. "Some faculty, in an effort to use the latest buzzword or receive the next big grant, are testing technology simply for the sake of technology, rather than using technology as a tool for learning, such as paper and pencils. When people focus too much on technology, they lose sight of the true purpose of technology, which is to facilitate learning in the classroom."

为某些具体目的使用技术，不是为了技术而用技术，这个目标必须清楚。阿萨说：“在使用信息技术的课堂上，学生常常成为小白鼠，因为教师要试出最新革新是否真的有助于学习。某些教师，为了追求使用最新术语，或者追求下一笔捐赠，仅仅为了技术去使用技术，而不是把技术作为学习的工具，比如笔和纸那样。人们过多关注技术，就会忽视技术的真正目的，而这目的才是推动课堂学习的动力。”

The Next Generation

下一代

Turn on the TV on Saturday mornings and watch cartoons for an hour. Count how many commercials there are for interactive toys for toddlers and young children. Even babies have "learning centers," with flashing colored lights and music. Whether or not the "Mozart Effect"—the theory that musical stimulation increases IQ scores—exists, parents have latched onto the idea that it does, and toy makers are obliging and capitalizing on their belief.

星期六早上打开电视，看一个小时的动画片。数数有多少针对低龄幼儿的互动玩具广告。甚至婴儿都有带着五光十色的彩色灯光和音乐的“学习中心”。不管“莫扎特效应”——该理论认为音乐此技能增加智商——是否存在，家长们接受了这种思想有效的观点，和蔼可亲的玩具制造商从中大赚特赚。

These new learners are exposed to technology—even on a rudimentary scale—from nearly the womb onward. My mother's kindergarten class uses the computer for learning games that reinforce counting and spelling skills. A quarter of the population has a computer at home, and many more have access to a computer—and the number continues to grow every year.

这些新的学习者从胎儿时期就开始接触到技术——甚至是最起码的规模。我母亲的幼儿园，使用计算机来学习游戏，增强数数和拼写技能。四分之一人口家里拥有计算机，更多人接触过计算机，这一数字每年都在增长。

The next generation of learners will meet and surpass the Net Generation's expectations of educational standards. Those standards will only be met if faculty and administrators today establish the infrastructure of learning technology in the classroom. And not just using PowerPoint in the lecture hall, but understanding how technology can be used to reach the most people in an effective way. It will take great effort on both sides—students and faculty alike—to learn and use technology effectively. But the benefits will be well worth the effort.

下一代学习者会达到并超越网络世代对教育标准的期望。要达到这些标准，只有等如今的教师和管理人员建立起教室中学习技术的架构。不只是在演讲大厅使用演示文稿，还要明白技术是如何有效影响绝大多数人的。这需要两边——学生和教师——努力学习和有效使用技术。回报一定会超过付出的。

About the Author

关于作者

Ben McNeely is the managing editor of Technician, the student newspaper at North Carolina State University. A senior in English, Ben hosts a talk show on WKNC-FM and also contributes to the yearbook and to the online magazine Americana. As an officer in PackMUG, the Macintosh Users Group at NC State, he was instrumental in bringing Steve Wozniak, cofounder of Apple Computer, to campus as a speaker. McNeely, an aspiring journalist and Eagle Scout, is interested in technology's impact on today's society and its implications for the future.

本·麦柯尼利，是北卡罗莱纳州立大学学生报纸《技术员》的总编。文学系大四学生，本主持WKNC-FM 的一档谈话节目，参与年鉴编辑，参与在线杂志《美洲文献》的工作。作为PackMUG ——北卡州苹果用户小组的工作人员，他协助邀请苹果电脑公司创始人史蒂夫•沃兹尼亚克，来校园演讲。麦柯尼利，有抱负的记者，最高级童子军，对技术对今日社会及未来的影响很感兴趣。

http://www.educause.edu/Resources/EducatingtheNetGeneration/UsingTechnologyasaLearningTool/6060