Are iPads and Other Classroom Gadgets Really Helping Kids Learn?

Are iPads and Other Classroom Gadgets Really Helping Kids Learn?

This article showed that technology has been through many phases to get where it is today. It mentioned how it started with simple implementation, gone to flipped classrooms, and has now been commonly used for online learning during the school day in small groups. The article mentioned how it wonders truly how successful embedding technology has been. Something interesting it mentioned was the idea of “Rocketship Schools.” It intrigued me and I did a little research on the concept. Low income schools were looking for ways to close the gaps between student performance. Part of their solution was to implement online learning throughout the day so students could work at their level while the teacher took on another small group. These “Rocketship” schools have had success in working this way. The article also mentioned that these low income schools were not only seeing positive results academically, but also financially. Because of learning online, administrators of these schools hired less teachers equalling less they had to pay for salaries. They were saving money implementing technology. They hired someone to be a monitor in a lab daily. The lab could take on many students at a time, I guess lessening the number of teachers needed at the school by a few. This article also went into detail about stock markets and educational technology. “In 2005, investors put about $13 million of venture and growth capital in the K-12 market. In 2011, venture capitalists poured $389 million into companies focused on K-12 education, according to industry analysts GSV Advisors, a Chicago-based education firm that tracks the K-12 market.” It has obviously increased and a huge emphasis has been put on the use of educational technology. This makes sense, as the need for technology in the classroom has changed drastically in the last few years. Later in the article, it mentioned “There are signs that Wall Street’s wild enthusiasm to finance the creation of the new Model T of educational technology may be cooling. Investment dollars in the educational technology sector is down from $389 million in 2011 to $305 million in 2012.” The article attributed this to the fact that schools were buying various types of technology just to have it sit around. The author said that administrators saw this and stopped buying additional technology because the current technology was either not being used in an efficient way or not being used enough. The article ended with “Meanwhile, parents and taxpayers, be cautious. We need to make sure hype doesn’t overtake good judgment.” This article was written last year, and I think it is extremely important to take this last bit seriously.

I agree with the article and think that if done correctly, the idea of Rocketship schools could be a great thing. There are so many things we could do with computer programs to differentiate for our kids. I think some teachers and a lot of parents would have a hard time with the idea. If teachers don’t know which programs to utilize, I think it could also be a waste of time for children and simply be just another way to present information. It also makes sense to me that the market for technology has declined a little. I think a year or two ago all the hype really spiked the market, and now people are coming back down from the technology cloud. Now that most schools have devices, it is time to learn just what we can do with them.

In my district, teachers have access to chrome books almost one-to one in grades three and four. I know that we aren’t using them to their fullest potential. Teachers in these two grade levels have mentioned that they want to use them in effective ways, they just have a hard time coming up with how.