This article form the Washington Post was based on studies that said that software has little effect on students. Paley starts out by saying that the 2 billion dollar a year industry of making software has no significant impact on student performance (2007). I thought that this statement was weird because as a teacher I have see software get students more involved and even help them better understand the knowledge that I was trying to instill upon them. From there the article went on to basically put down software and the way that schools use the software. Paley stated that low preforming schools use this technology as an easy means to boost students test scores (2007). I believe this is true in some ways. Schools and teachers are under a tight watch with this No Child Left Behind program and they need to find a way to get the students to understand the information they need to understand, even if that means drill, drill, and more drill. Even with that I do agree that we as educators need to find the most effective way to use software in the classroom, but by no means should it be thought of as having no effect on learning. We all know that all students learn at a different pace and in different ways, technology and software give us one more way to present the curriculum and should not be overlooked.
Reference
Paley, A. 2007. "Educational software has little effect, finds study."
April 5, 2007 retrieved April 10, 2007, from:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2003652152&zsection_id=2002107549&slug=educate05&date=20070405
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
If you haven't yet, check out http://www.nosignificantdifference.org/
It is a great resource
Hi Rick,
Interesting article. People can always "spin" the data to support their point of view. However, we know that good technology, used properly, will increase the learning experience for the child. Yes, some schools may over use it for "No Child Left Behind" but atleast they are attempting to meet the demands that have been placed on them.
Ken
I agree that researchers can spin data to support their point of view. I can understand the argument that we might not be getting our 2 billion dollars worth for student software, however, I do not believe that “good” software has little effect. Effective software and technology is the key and if used properly will enhance student learning. Just assigning a computer module is not enough. The key is properly inserting that computer module effectively and correctly into the curriculum. Below is a link to a good summary of tips and techniques for the effective use of technology in the classroom
http://www.bcps.org/offices/oit/word_files/Tips%20and%20Techniques%20for%20the%20Effective%20Use%20of%20Technology.doc
Post a Comment