Yet Another Article About How Bad Computers Are In School

from the blaming-the-wrong-thing dept

A month and a half ago, we posted a link to a review of The Flickering Mind a book that trashes the idea of computers in the classroom. Now, the author of that book has written an article (guess what) trashing the idea of computers in the classroom. I'm certainly not the sort of person who believes in technology for the sake of technology, but the article is a terrible read. Just about every paragraph contains assertions that aren't backed up at all, assumptions stated as facts, or quotes that are most likely taken out of context. Almost all of the language used is biased against the idea of computers in the classroom ("delusion", "dumbing down", "hoax") - and no room is given to the opposing viewpoint. I don't deny that many school districts are doing a dreadful job at using technology in the classroom. However, I think that the author, Todd Oppenheimer, is pushing a personal bias by blaming the technology, and not blaming the implementation and use of the technology. Clearly, there are cases where the technology is being used badly - and it's probably doing more harm than good. In many cases, that's because the teachers are not properly trained and administrators are forcing them to make use of all this new technology. That's where the problem is. If school districts could come up with a decent plan to figure out how computers could aid in the learning process, including the training of teachers to use them effectively, then schools could do quite well with computers. That will happen eventually. However, just like plenty of new technologies, it's being misused in the early years. Meanwhile, to read about the opposite viewpoint, take a look at Never Mind The Laptops, which makes an argument why every student should have a laptop in school.