This artcile points out a strong frustration of mine. I've long believed that teachers and educators need a space to share how products work in the "real world" beyond the studies self-reported by companies. I have been familiar with the whatworks clearinghous and I have to say that the site is cumbersome without any commenting. If the site had a stronger design, compiled information better, and then allowed for users of the vetted programs to comment then they would have a useful tool.
Allison, do you know of any non-goverment or non-profit "Consumer Reports" style ed tech review forums which provide a balanced, ind-depth review (and where users can share their experiences)?
After looking at the DOE what works clearing house website, I agree it is not well-layed out.
No- the sites I have stumbled upon in the past few years are more like list serves without any real organization. One of my goals at HGSE is to identify or create a site that would do this well.
Allison, how about we create a 'rating' agency for educational products (software, toys, kits etc) the way we think it should work? (We can call it Allison's list, like Angie's list). I am putting up this idea seriously. If there is a need that is not being met, I suppose it is an opportunity.
Just as the title says, this article explains that those individuals who use tablets are often more educated, wealthier, and more interested in the news than the average American.
"Innovation and technology will not be centered around a piece of technology," Paul Kim, assistant dean and CTO at Stanford School of Education, "suggesting instead that educational reformers should focus on content and promoting self-initiated learning."