UD calls it technolust, a sudden humping action at the sight of a screen.
UD and this guy in the LA Times think “the nirvana sketched out by Duncan and Genachowski at last week’s Digital Learning Day town hall was erected upon a sizable foundation of commercially processed claptrap.”
As you know, UD just a few days ago attended a small gathering that featured Genachowski, a genial man promoting not really education but American riches via exploitation of technology. UD‘s all for that as a broad sentiment, but she, like the LA Times guy, has actually read the research on technology and classroom learning, and it ain’t pretty.
February 4th, 2012 at 4:15PM
[…] particularly good way to learn anything, vocational or otherwise. This columnist for the LA Times (via UD) covers the essential secondary school studies very well. I’ll bet you anything you can find […]
February 4th, 2012 at 4:53PM
There is an interesting analogy with one-time GM CEO Roger Smith, who in the 1980s invested billions of dollars in the roboticization of the company’s factories…an investment which is generally viewed as not having really paid off all that well (in part because of the excessive rigidity it built into the manufacturing process). Toyota, meanwhile, chose to focus on *thinking* seriously and creatively about the manufacturing process and how it could be improved, including increased use of worker brains as well as worker hands. And we all know how *that* competition played out.
There are plenty of useful ways that iPads and other computer technologies could be applied in education, but given the history of education-establishment performance, I think we’re much more likely to see a focus on the acquisition of sparkly tools than a focus on how to make the tools–sparkly or otherwise–actually useful.
February 4th, 2012 at 11:51PM
I agree with David in terms of iPads being useful for education. But, what I would add is that there are alternatives to the iPad. I suggest an alternative to the iPad because of its price tag. Amazon’s Kindle Fire is an alternative to the iPad. Not only does it can it read ebooks and use apps, but it also has flash and a USB port. It costs $199 whereas an iPad costs $499.
So, if any schools allocate a budget towards getting tablets, I would suggest they avoid iPads.
February 5th, 2012 at 8:07AM
Discussing the practical merits of various technologies with an “educator” in a buying mood is like discussing the finer points of fabric durability with a very-fashion-conscious junior high school student. In both cases, the objective is to wear what the other Kool Kidz are wearing.