If the technology is used solely as a content provider - for example, if iPads are used as alternatives to books - then there won't be any positive impact, he said.
"Where technology does have a positive impact is when it actively engages students, when it's used as a communication tool, when it's used for things like simulations or games that enable students to actively manipulate the environment."
Using the technology students are already using - like Twitter, Facebook, and cell phones - to extend educational opportunities. A few good ideas for teachers who are just dipping their toes into the "technology" water, like "low-tech tweeting" and "physical Facebook walls."
Blog post on ZDNET on the One Laptop Per Child program in Peru, and how it is not achieving the results desired/expected.
From the article:
"Why such results? The IDB concluded that OLPC does not provide enough guidance for teachers to show students how to effectively use the computers in class - and so the next item on the agenda should be improving teacher training"
"Our research shows that the argument that there is a generational break between today's generation of young people who are immersed in new technologies and older generations who are less familiar with technology is flawed," says Dr Jones. "The diverse ways that young people use technology today shows the argument is too simplistic and that a new single generation, often called the 'net generation', with high skill levels in technology does not exist."
while students had a wide exposure to technology, they often lacked an in-depth knowledge of specialised pieces of software
a small minority of students who either didn't use email or have access to mobile phones
students who were 20 years old or younger reported being more engaged in instant messaging, texting, participating in social networks, downloading or streaming TV or video and uploading images than students who were aged 25 years or more
Despite mobile devices and broadband enabling students to study anywhere, they still inhabit the same kinds of learning spaces they used ten years ago.
The distracting nature of technologies was commonly cited in the interviews but also happily accepted. Most students had developed ways to cope with the distractions while studying. These ranged from switching off the sources of distraction to taking breaks for social networking.
ESRC report on Generation Y's use of technology - they assert that the "net generation" moniker is a misnomer and doesn't represent the different levels of ability and technology use seen in this generation.
GoClass is a teaching application for tablet devices that redefines the boundaries of computing in the classroom. Connect with your students like never before, customize and fine-tune your lesson plans on the fly, engage students in new ways and continuously evaluate their understanding while you are in class.