Technology Reshapes America’s Classrooms

Szep, J. (2008, July 7) Technology Reshapes America’s Classrooms

                Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2547885520080707

            In this news article from Reuters, a class in Boston is highlighted as a model for a new kind of school—a school with laptops instead of books.  A student interviewed said that she enjoyed the new school and that it was “comfortable” and like “playing a game.”  The article says that this is the wave of the future.  It went on to state that this is not only the direction of secondary education but higher education as well.  The article was generally positive about these developments, concluding that teachers can work more one on one with their virtual students, while avoiding “one size fits all” lesson planning.

            I have taken about 5 online classes for college.  I believe that the more challenging the subject matter, the less useful online classes are.  When you have a student who is sitting unsupervised at a computer with Google, there is a real temptation to simply search for the answer.  No real evidence of student understanding is possible with this sort of arrangement.  I understand the benefits of online classes and have used them myself, but I don’t feel that this is a useful tool for real learning.  A similar school to the one profiled in this article was highlighted in the PBS Frontline “Digtial Nation”. They too experienced higher student achievement when the laptop programs were introduced, but as the technology became more common, old bad habits in the students began to reemerge, such as using the computers for chatting with friend.  The technology became more of a distraction then a benefit.