Is too much technology good for the classroom?
OCTOBER 23, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
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Is technology helping or hurting in the classroom?
To the Editor:
As a district, we have enthusiastically embraced technology in our schools. And it is certainly understandable why. With technology came the promise of improved educational outcomes for our children, and a greater chance for success competing in the 21st century global economy.
But parents are beginning to question the validity of this promise: Are children really learning more? Is their reading comprehension improving? What about their math ability?
Now, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has published a 200-page study, concluding that investing heavily in classroom technology does not improve student performance, and, in fact, frequent use of computers is more likely to be associated with lower results. For math, the study found that almost any time spent on the computer leads to poorer performance.
Internationally, the best-performing education systems, such as those in East Asia, have been very cautious about using technology in the classroom. Countries with the highest level of Internet use in schools either experienced significant declines in reading performance or stagnated.
Because of my earlier career developing software for IBM, I am acutely aware of the limitations of technology and certainly not bedazzled by it. Now I tutor math for the SAT, so I get to hear unfiltered reports of students’ experiences with technology.
Some teachers, apparently, require students take notes on their Chromebooks, even though some prefer to take notes by hand, because they believe they learn better that way. Research supports these students’ preferences; taking notes by hand results in deeper learning.
Chromebooks in the classroom frequently cause distractions because some students play games during class.
Textbooks are increasingly online, even though many students would prefer to have good paper textbooks, because they are easier to read.
There also appears to be a tendency on the part of some teachers to delegate to the computer the task of teaching, so there’s less interaction between student and teacher. Students do best in close human-to-human contact. The research supports this.
It’s interesting: the students who complain most about technology in the schools are strong students, those most interested in learning.
I think we might want to consider why the executives and employees of the top Silicon Valley firms send their kids to schools that have no technology in the early grades, absolutely none, and when it is introduced in eighth grade, it is used sparingly. It should give us pause to hear that the innovators developing these products refuse to expose their own children’s minds to them. Their thinking is that technology interferes with creativity, and young minds learn best through movement, hands-on tasks and human-to-human interaction.
The OECD report now gives us solid data linking frequent computer use in school to declining academic performance. In September, we learned that – nationally – students in the high school class of 2015 turned in the lowest critical reading score on the SAT in more than 40 years. The average score on the math portion of the SAT was the lowest since 1999.
Marlene Burton
Ridgewood
I was at the HS two weeks ago. The two teachers that I observed were not using technology with the kids. The teachers were using the smart boards the kids had their Chromebooks out.
Some students were taking notes on the Chromebooks. Unfortunately they were using powerpoint to take notes. They were wasting time drawing text boxes,headings and even clipart in an attempt to duplicate what was on the screen. That distracts from the content. They need to be shown HOW to make the technology work. They are kids and they sometimes focus on the wrong things. Maybe wordprocessing would have been a better choice.
I also noticed at least 5 students playing the same game. It looked like a 6 by 6 number grid. They were really focused on that game One student appeared to be designing a backpack. The teacher called on him, he had no idea what was going on. After about 30 uncomfortable seconds the teacher moved on to another student and the boy resumed his backpack design.
There is a lot to be said for writing notes. Without a computer the focus is on the content. The student can outline and draw figures where needed.
We pretend that the students are mature and making appropriate use of technology. They are kids and many were distracted by the technology that was given to them.
I have one child in the HS and another at BF. Both believe they learn better when they use old-fashioned books, not the computer. (which surprises me considering they are ALWAYS on their iphones) My kid at BF was actually made to do pre-algebra on the chromebook. They were NOT allowed to use pencil and paper to work out their problems. Crazy.
Most teachers are not incorporating computers in class there are no apps to work with the content.
We are pretending that the students are not on snapchat and instagram during class. Two years ago the teachers took the smartphones away. Mow the district gave them large distractions that they are encouraged to have out during class.
When you see math and science geniuses working out problems they are always at 30 foot wide whiteboards. They need big spaces and can assess all of their work on ONE surface.
Maybe someone should make them use a Chromebook. Try to tell them that they would learn better.