She holds an Ed.D. in Reading and Educational Administration from the University of Arizona. If Pi Irwin were charged with the task of convincing other school leaders that technology can increase student achievement and engagement, help bond students to school, and also advance an ambitious agenda for learning, she wouldn't hesitate to take on the challenge. She mentions a recent incident in which she observed a small child in a large discount store using a computer screen to find locations throughout the store. Irwin also emphasizes how expectations of students are changing dramatically as the nation races toward the millennium and technology increases in contemporary society at almost an exponential rate. Now we expect a good student to have the ability to think and to solve problems.
Technology is critical because it changes the access to information.
Suddenly this access to information occurs in real time-not in school time. Just as contestants on quiz shows of the 1950s and 1960s were distinguished by the number of facts they knew, Irwin predicts the quiz shows of tomorrow will shift to a focus on rapid-fire problemsolving. North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer and copyright information.