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View Full Version : Study: No benefit going high-tech for math and reading


Brian
04-09-2007, 08:32 PM
Study: No benefit going high-tech for math and reading (http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/11419/Study+No+benefit+going+hightech+for+math+and+readi ng/)

"The study found achievement scores were no higher in classrooms using reading and math software products than in classrooms without the new products.

Researchers looked at elementary and secondary classes in 132 schools. The teachers that participated used more than a dozen software products to help deliver their lessons.

Nearly all the teachers received training on the products and believed they were well prepared to use the technology in their classrooms.

Minor technical difficulties, such as issues with students logging in or computers locking up, were fairly common. However, most of those problems were easily corrected or worked around, according to the report.

When asked whether they would use the products again, nearly all teachers indicated that they would.

I bet computers could be used to improve one important skill: Computer Freakin' Science! Teach it!

On another note, I've said it before and I'll say it again. Computer are <em>tools</em>, and tools can't solve problems. They only make problem solving <em>easier</em>. But giving a kid a calculator isn't going to teach him trig. For that matter, and here's a left field reminder for all you slackers, having a computer isn't going to file your taxes for you <em>while you sleep</em>. Get to work!"

Read full story here (http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/04/05/education.technology.ap/index.html?eref=rss_tech)

ritingon
04-09-2007, 08:32 PM
Bah. There's no thought here. If you don't design curriculum around technology, it will have a negligible effect on student outcomes. And let's face it: teachers, while well-meaning, are simply not even decent at curriculum design. There's an entirely different skillset at work there.

So, give up control of the classroom to the man? Well, yes, if you actually want to help kids learn. But then, outcome measurement is bad enough without actual expectations, right?