Flashy Nonthink Leads In American Schools
Ed tech -- public schools providing schoolkids with laptops and tablets -- has been a "costly fiasco," reports RealClearInvestigations' Tim Cavanaugh.
Kids get around school firewalls in a matter of minutes and usage of video games like Shell Shockers skyrockets.
Cavanaugh notes:
This misuse of machines by children might be a worthwhile tradeoff if the many ed tech devices and software marketed to schools showed academic results. They don't.A wide-ranging report from Paris-based Reboot Foundation in June found "evidence of a negative relationship between nations' performances on [the Program for International Student Assessment test] and their students' reported use of technology."
"Students who use computers very frequently at school do a lot worse in most learning outcomes, even after accounting for social background and student demographics," a 2015 study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development concluded. "The results show no appreciable improvements in student achievement in reading, mathematics or science in the countries that had invested heavily in information and communications technologies for education."
Suspicions about the effects of ed tech have been stoked by revelations that Bill Gates strictly limited his own children's access to technology, as did the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Three-quarters of students at expensive Silicon Valley Waldorf schools - which maintain a completely tech-free learning environment - are children of wealthy tech industry professionals.
...But ed tech promises something less quantifiable: "engagement."
"It should be easy to get a clear answer," said Matt Miles, a longtime teacher and co-author with Joe Clement of the 2017 book "Screen Schooled." "When this software was sold to our school district, the person pitching said there's no proof it improves achievement, but it does improve engagement. How do you prove engagement? Why spend a billion dollars on something that doesn't improve performance?"
Of course, the actual "digital divide" is how kids whose parents make the devices get an actual education while the other kids are playing video games.
...But ed tech promises something less quantifiable: "engagement."
I wonder what "engagement" means. I wonder if "engagement" is one of those words that means whatever people want it to mean, without bothering to come up with a common definition.
Old RPM Daddy (OldRPMDaddy at GMail dot com) at July 18, 2019 4:37 AM
I do like computers for math practice. Students get immediate feedback, visuals, and mini lessons on specific skills, which many of our parents are unwilling or unable to do.
An entire page of 1/2 + 1/2 = 2/4 is not beneficial. I work with special education students and most of the parents are no more adept academically than their children.
Jen at July 18, 2019 4:54 AM
There are ways technology can improve education. Just like there are ways good teachers can improve education. The current system of education in the US doesn't support any of that. So school spending on tech is mostly wasteful and pointless.
Ben at July 18, 2019 6:50 AM
Why spend a billion dollars on something that doesn't improve performance?"
Because you can't grift off improved performance. Remember, it isn't what the consultants and the tech they're pushing has done that's important, it's what they say they've done, and what they say they're going to do. And how much you're going to pay them for it.
Performance metrics are for little people.
I R A Darth Aggie at July 18, 2019 8:13 AM
Steve Jobs was a lousy father, so I wouldn’t use him as an example.
Katec at July 18, 2019 8:45 AM
My friend teaches 6th grade. Part of her job is now doing random browsing history checks —and informing parents that their kid is viewing porn on the school-issued tablet.
sofar at July 18, 2019 10:52 AM
Part of her job is now doing random browsing history checks
I'm about to contribute to the delinquency of many minors: in firefox, enable "Private Browsing" and in Chrome, enable "Incognito". Keep in mind that any files you download or bookmarks you make will be saved.
Added note: do use the regular modes for school board approved websites. It would be highly suspicious if you had no browser history. Show them what they expect to see, and they'll be blind to the rest.
I R A Darth Aggie at July 18, 2019 12:24 PM
Something Michael Schrage wrote 13 years ago:
"What better way to breed cognitively spoilt children than sparkly tools that interactively cater to their impatience and short attention spans? Tears of frustration are an essential part of education. The ability to press on even in the absence of simulated cooing and "isn't this fun?" encouragement matters. But most educational software has nothing to do with cultivating character. Character does not even rise to the level of an afterthought. It is all Rousseau and no Epictetus.
This absence of character is sadly revealing. Classroom computing offers less of a bold vision than a cowardly cheat by technocrats counting on technical innovation to shield themselves from hard questions about what schools should be. That sensibility is emblematic of a monied elite that would rather buy tools than go through the painful process of determining how best to use them."
David Foster at July 18, 2019 1:20 PM
Computers? Pffft.
Elon Musk will have the next generation chipped by the first grade.
No need to tell the kids to sit and be quiet, just click on "STFU" and voila! The learning gets pumped into the ol' cortex as they stare blankly into space.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at July 18, 2019 4:51 PM
It is cargo cult science (see Richard Feynman): the idea that the trappings of civilization will make someone civilized or the trappings of education (laptops) will make you educated. Another example was the widespread belief that home ownership would make you middle class--which contributed to the 08 crash.
Teaching kids to reason, to debate coherently, to write clearly, and to compute are all hard work--much easier to let them go play on "learning" software. You can prove you "did something".
cc at July 19, 2019 7:56 AM
We went to the moon with slide rules and drafting paper.
Now we need computers to teach math.
Steve Daniels at July 19, 2019 9:12 AM
"Now we need computers to teach math."
No, now we need computers to deflect parents blaming the teacher for not teaching their precious, because they sure as hell aren't going to do that.
We need computers to avoid noticing that the teacher often can't pass a 10-grade-level aptitude test, having bought a degree from a college eager to sell them one.
We need computers to avoid noticing that the teacher didn't do anything but graduate from college, so he/she/they have nothing whatsoever to offer a student beyond the computer's presentation of the course material - they cannot be a role model.
Radwaste at July 20, 2019 4:14 AM
Just keep it simple Rad. We need to buy a computer to use up the budget or our budget will get cut next year. The goal was to spend money. That goal was accomplished. Everything else is sales talk.
The bureaucracy must expand to meet the needs of the expanded bureaucracy!
Ben at July 21, 2019 9:00 AM
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