Type I and Type II Technology

Type I applications of technology are those used to maintain the traditional ways of using technology in the classroom, where type II applications use modern or more advanced ways of teaching and using technology in the classroom.

Examples of Type I Applications: In middle school, everything I learned in my computer class came from a program on a floppy disk which showed us the proper ways to use the keyboard. We only used the Internet once or twice when the librarian came in to teach our class. One program we had to perfect in middle school was Paint. We spent weeks upon weeks designing houses on Paint that students today would probably laugh at us for. A great example of Type I application is though working as a tutor in a middle school, I have noticed that almost all of the classes are integrating the use of technology. However the students are reverting to old habits and constantly use search engines such as Google to complete assignments, rather than using other websites or computer programs to find the answers.

Examples of Type II Applications: The technology teacher at a local middle school goes through a tutorial with all of the seventh grade students using their new Mac laptops. These programs included iMovie, Garage Band, and many others that the students had never used before in their education. Another example of a Type II application occurred during my freshman year of high school (2001) when we learned how to create our own website, which was pretty new for us at the time. One great example of Type II technology is the use of a Smart Board in the classroom. I have been fortunate to have observed an English teacher who had perfected the use of it in her class, and the kids loved when she used the Smart Board.

Maddux, C.D., & Johnson D.L. (2005). Type II applications of technology in education: new and better ways of teaching and learning. Computers in the Schools, 22, 1-5.