"...too many teachers only know what's in the dominant textbook. That makes it very difficult to change, because they cannot conceive of teaching other content or approaches."
Bob Tinker has a Ph.D. in experimental
low-temperature physics from MIT. He is also widely known as a
proponent of constructivist uses of educational technology. Tinker
taught high school physics for 10 years.
Bob Tinker is the president of the Concord Consortium, a non profit
group working to realize the educational potential of technology.
Here he directs the ubiquitous computing team and the school partners
program. According to Tinker the strength of the consortium is
“exploring complex innovations that include new hardware,
software, and curricula as well as new ways of teaching and new
organizational arrangements” (Online interview). The consortium
focuses on the use of technology across all instructional
disciplines. Tinker contends that technology should empower learners
to be empowered to create their own understanding and problems.
In addition, he directs four major research and developmental
projects that use networks for professional development and student
learning. For many years, Tinker was affiliated with TERC, which is a
leading education think-tank. He was a creator of National Geographic
Kids’ network as well as Personal Science Lab for IBM.
Tinker has also worked hard in developing “probeware” for
probes, interfaces, software and supporting curricula. Tinker
contends that “probeware gives the learner real-time displays of
data which is powerful because kids can compare their senses to the
display and learn immediately about the relations between the
two” (online, interview). Tinker is currently working on the
development of handheld probes which will cost under 35.00 giving
every learner access to probeware.
Publications
Electronic Instrumentation: A Guide to Tinker's Toys