The Movie Metaphor
Papert suggests that the implementation of computer technology in schools can be analogised to a number of different advances in technology throughout history. I particularly like his movie metaphor. In some regards the metaphor is simplistic in that it doesn’t take into account the limtations of the technology. The tendency to recreated the existing task with the addition of the technology may not neccessarily be a choice. Just like electricity, film required a number of other technological inventions in order to move from the basic filmed play to modern cinema. A single camera set up with a play acted out, usually out doors, was a direct result of the limited technology. There were no high powered studio lights, no in camera effects, no zoom or fade. In order to develop a language the cinema pioneers had to develop technologies.
It is much the same with education. Simply introducing computers to the classroom is nothing more than adding technology to the pre-existing play of education. It is what we do with the technology and how we develop the way we educate around the technology that is of the most importance. And we need to develop and adapt new technologies to support our digital classroom.
I like the movie metaphor because it can be so easily related to using technology in the classroom. haveing a single camera set up to capture a student role play may be an effective way of deconstructing the way that a class’ performance worked but it hardly effective use of technology. To fully intergrate DV into an English classroom would require the use of short projects where the students use the technology to create works from beginning to end. They would write, shoot, edit and present their work using technology. That would be integrated use of technology.
