Critics counter that, absent clear proof, schools are being motivated by a blind faith in technology and an overemphasis on digital skills — like using PowerPoint and multimedia tools — at the expense of math, reading and writing fundamentals. They say the technology advocates have it backward when they press to upgrade first and ask questions later.
Again, this is very different than how TEACHERS are innovating their PRACTICES. It's much more challenging than making a slick brochure that communicates how much technology your district has.
And what is that "something"? New technology? If so, you missed the boat.
it is hard to separate the effect of the laptops from the effect of the teacher training
The high-level analyses that sum up these various studies, not surprisingly, give researchers pause about whether big investments in technology make sense.
Why does the argument for making schools relevant and using current cultural tools need to be backed with performance data? Give politicians and superintendents horses instead of cars and see how long that lasts.
Good teachers, he said, can make good use of computers, while bad teachers won’t, and they and their students could wind up becoming distracted by the technology.
“Test scores are the same, but look at all the other things students are doing: learning to use the Internet to research, learning to organize their work, learning to use professional writing tools, learning to collaborate with others.”
Exactly. But somehow, "value" has been equated with test scores alone. Do we have a strong body of research on pencil effectiveness or clay effectiveness or chair effectiveness?
“It’s not the stuff that counts — it’s what you do with it that matters.”
“There is a connection between the physical hand on the paper and the words on the page,” she said. “It’s intimate.”
“They’re inundated with 24/7 media, so they expect it,”
And you expect them to always engage enthusiastically with tools that are no longer relevant in their culture?
The 30 students in the classroom held wireless clickers into which they punched their answers. Seconds later, a pie chart appeared on the screen: 23 percent answered “True,” 70 percent “False,” and 6 percent didn’t know.
Computers don't really "instruct". That's why we have teachers who are supposed to know what they are doing and why they are doing it... and monitoring kids while keeping learning meaningful.
Are they in love with Cuban or something? Perhaps they should actually look at the research... or interview other authorities. Isn't that what reporting is all about? I think this reporter must be a product of too much Google, right?
But she loves the fact that her two children, a fourth-grader and first-grader, are learning technology, including PowerPoint
Again, the fact that any supporter is happy that their kids are learning PowerPoint illustrates the degree of naiveté in their understanding of technology's role in learning.
creating an impetus to rethink education entirely
Mr. Share bases his buying decisions on two main factors: what his teachers tell him they need, and his experience. For instance, he said he resisted getting the interactive whiteboards sold as Smart Boards until, one day in 2008, he saw a teacher trying to mimic the product with a jury-rigged projector setup.
“It was an ‘Aha!’ moment,” he said, leading him to buy Smart Boards, made by a company called Smart Technologies.
Herein lies another huge problem. Mr. Director of Technology seems to base no decisions on what the learning and technology literature have to say... nor does he consult those who would be considered authorities on technology infused learning (emphasis on learning here)
Simple reflectional symmetry tool which lets children/teachers put colours into four quadrants creating reflecting patterns.
http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/Maths
it's also about sharing with the right people. Circles will allow what educational consultant Tom Barnett calls "targeted sharing," something that will be great for specific classes and topics
Skype has become an incredibly popular tool to bring in guests to a classroom via video chat -
teachers are already talking about the possibility of not just face-to-face video conversation but the potential for integration of whiteboards, screen-sharing, Google Docs, and other collaborative tools
Google + seems like the solution for someone like me who wants to use the web to have conversations about school topics with students and parents and yet not have students and parents have access to my personal posts.
This class will be a basic overview how to use WizIQ for drawing and painting art classes that I teach. This session will cover the use of video, reference photographs, paintings, critiques and the interactive whiteboard.