I added Future Tense, a short technology program, to my ipodder client the other day. I’ve been enjoying the three minutes or so of tech news. Monday’s edition of the show really caught my ear — so much so that I played it for some students at school yesterday. Here’s the summary from the website:
A recent study of European school children found that students who
use computers extensively perform worse in math and reading.The study, conducted by the CESifo economic research group in Munich,
contradicts some earlier work which suggests computers boost grades.
Critics of classroom tech say the new research does a better job of
controlling for demographic factors. Researchers took into account that
computer-using students tend to come from more affluent,
better-educated families, and those students tend to do better on tests.
The question this study immediately brings to mind is what were these students doing with computers? If they were simply typing papers on them, then it makes perfect sense that there were no testing benefits. A computer used simply as a typewriter is not much of a writing tool. Nor is a computer used solely for web browsing — which far too many people — and some teachers — call "research."
This piece was an eye-opener, and a good reminder. Since I’ve begun my career (only two and a half years ago, mind you), I have been certain that one of the keys to student achievement is access to technology. Computers and the Internet are where our society is heading. I know that students who are taught how to access, evaluate and analyze information from a variety of sources are going to be well prepared for life after school, whether they go on to college or they attend trade school or they jump right into the job market. But sitting them down in front of a computer is not enough. Their learning has to be focused. This short radio program reminded me of that.
Also, the show got me thinking again about what I do with computers in the classroom. I’ve made some mistakes. I remember thinking at one point that if only my students read a few good newspaper stories, they could write their own. Of course, it’s not that simple. I think that my curriculum involving computers is a solid one. Mostly. But you can bet I’m headed over to read that study to see what improvements I can make. I’m also headed off to check out Thomas Oppenheimer’s book, The Flickering Mind: Saving Education from the False Promise of Technology. Oppenheimer was the guest on the program. More on what I discover later.
