Type I and Type II Technologies

Type I and Type II technology are integrated into classrooms quite differently. Type I technology merely guides the student through steps and does not contribute to any supplementary learning. The students were not able to obtain full control of the technology that they were using, but rather had to follow instructions of the programmer in a passive manner. Type II technology uses the traditional learning methods, however, it adjoins new and improved customs of teaching children. The child is the primary controller of the technology which enables the student to build upon their problem solving and cognitive thinking process.

There are numerous examples of Type I technology. In high school during our freshman year, all students were required to take and complete a computer class. The computer class consisted of speakers that would consistently direct out monotone orders. "Type A", "Now type AS", "Now type "ASD", were the directions that the whole class followed during the entire period. Our teacher would sit in the front of the class and grade papers. The students hardly participated and remained passive for the duration. A second example of a Type I technology is video games. There are many video games that are interactive, however there are some video games that often guide the users through scenes and steps without actually ever forcing the user to participate. The third example of Type I technology are overheads. Overheads were once considered to be an amazing new technology in classrooms (which, in its time, it was). However, overheads now are not that effective. Attempting to learn from an overhead can be extremely difficult due to vision problems, varying learning methods, etc.

Type II technologies can be found everywhere. One example of Type II technology is iMovies. Students, as well as teachers, can create iMovies to teach or learn a lesson in an effective way. Children are able to create their own movie with their own pictures and music, allowing the student's individuality to shine through along with their academic abilities. A second example of Type II technology is the program called "Alice". Alice is a program that was designed by a group of professors along with Professor Randy Pausch (author of "The Last Lecture"). Alice is a fairly new software teaching tool that allows people to easily create animations for telling a story, playing an interactive game or making a video. It uses 3-D graphics and drag-and-drop techniques to give users a more engaging, less frustrating first programming experience. Alice is offered free as a public service by Carnegie Mellon, and more than a million people have downloaded it (you can keep tabs on Alice's progress at www.alice.org). A third example of Type II technology is youtube. Youtube is a fascinating way for teachers and students to learn. Educators can use the program to find or create videos to implement in a classroom or lesson. Students can create their own video as well and are able to receive feedback from other users on the web.

Pausch, Randy. The Last Lecture. New York: Hyperion 2008.