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Computers Not Working In Education
salimfadhley writes "BBC Radio 4's current affairs program 'Analysis' is reporting [realaudio] [txt transcript] on emerging evidence that computers have harmed, rather than helped educational progress. There is still much debate among even the most enthusiastic supporters of schools technology about how computers should best be used.
Despite record investment in computers in the USA and UK, recent studies (not the ones funded by educational software companies) have shown a significant drop in core subjects (Math, English) in schools that place strong emphasis on Information Technology.
Evidence also suggests that whilst information technology has great potential in the classroom, teachers have not yet found better use for computers than as a big library. Very few schools have been able to use the new technology for cultural exchange, or to build practical educational networks with other schools.
Teachers do not know whether computers should be seen as an exciting but peripheral educational 'accessory', or if computers can actually be used to solve the most pressing problems of literacy and numeracy - the sorts of things that get kids through exams." The Economist had a similar article a month or two back, about Israeli schools that had similar results, along with an interesting comparison between how people see computers now, and how people in the early 20th century saw film strips in the classroom.
Just look at the post...
I'm not surpised. Schools tend to take away hours from maths and physics for teaching computer "science", so that would explain enough. Pity that MS Word is considered more important than algebra.
Computers *used* to work in education. I recall in primary school, the old BBC Microcomputers with software specifically designed to aid numeracy, literacy and logic skills. That actually worked, as it supplemented the classroom teachings rather than replacing them.
These days, computers waste time more than anything. It is too tempting for them to be used for 'messing around' with Windows and the Internet than for teaching kids basic skills. The latest crop of PCs have no software that supplements classroom teaching. What's the use of learning to use a word processor if you can't read or write?
Part of the problem is that many schools are staffed with teachers fresh out of school themselves and put into situations that equate to nothing more than glorified babysitting.
The real issue here, and this applies to whether or not we put computers in classrooms or force them to use old-school slide-rules, we've got to get back to teaching kids how to think, analyze and take some mental initiative.
Unfortunately, this usually starts at home
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Of course, many of the teachers (just like many of the engineers in the corporate world,) said "What? I don't think thats going to work." but the school boards wanted their schools to be considered hi-tech, and it was an easy way to get more money for education.
Now that this stuff has actually been tested in the field, we're seeing it all backfire.
And all jokes aside, while technology teachers tend to know what they're doing, many other teachers were given a manual and direct orders to "teach using these computers!". Obviously, thats going to have a negative effect.
Ballpoint pens have been found to have no advantage over pencils regarding spelling.
Calculators found to not aid basic understanding and proficiency in mathematics. (Yesterday I saw someone enter 150000 * 1 into a calulator, then write down the answer so they wouldn't forget it)
It's a tool, just because you have it it doesn't mean you know how to use it. Too much emphasis is placed on the hardware in schools, too much money is spent on a fast connection, teach kids (and teachers) how to actually use them for academic purposes and you may see an improvement in some topics.
For subjects such as history and geography, the internet really can help a lot. To teach spelling or mathematical skills, maybe some software can be of assistance, but only if people know how to use it. The computer is not a replacement for a teacher.
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I used to work in a School District IT department. Computers were thrown at everything as if they were a cure-all, when the real problem was that the teachers were awful. It seemed that the ones who were yelling the loudest about needing computers in the classroom were the same ones who put up signs saying "Welcome Student's" and the same ones--English teachers, mind you!--who were saying, without a trace of irony, "Yeah, me and her are going across the street for lunch."
We need to turn out smarter teachers and give them incentives to perform, like better pay, long before we think about having a computer for every student.
Computers are changing EVERYTHING. Just because we do not know how to use them does not mean that they are not effective. In fact, the main problem is that computers are close to at odds with mainstream academic thought.
What happens when within 5 minutes I can gain most any knowledge I desire? Well..it kinda breaks down the walls, that is what it does.
The problem with such limitless resources, is not a problem with the resource itself, it's a cultural problem. Our modern education system sucks. Absolutly, positivly sucks. All it does is turn a majority of students completly off of knowledge. It does not encourage the kind of curiosity and logical thought that make for an intelligent person.
Our education system should consist of the basic fundimentals..Math general scientific method, language and grammer, and logical thought are the most important things we can teach. Everything else stems from these base things, and should be taught as such.
Love of knowledge is the most important thing that can be gained at such a young age. We should not throw this away just so we can have good little Christian worker bees.
I currently go to HS. We went through the "computers in every classroom" policy. Most teachers are not competent enough to use them (they're iMacs too, how dumb can you get?), and they try their hardest not to let students use the computers.
The computers which do get used are mostly for candystand.com golf. And we have an internet filter which uses blanket keyword blocking, which eliminates any websites with educational value.
As long as the focus is simply on getting "computers in the classroom" these kinds of results do not surprise me. For all the talk of quantity, I rarely, if ever, hear discussion on how computers will be used once they are in the classroom. Computers no doubt can, and should, play a roll in a child's education, but people need to remember that they are a means, not a solution.
If you really want a better education for our children we should return focus on the basics... Math - Science - Language/Writing/Reading. Computers can be used when applicable to help teach these lessons, but otherwise are not particularly necessary.
my religion lies somewhere between buddhism and super monkey ball - pamphlet?
I don't want to be offensive to you but I think that teachers and principals do need to see this. One of the things that is wrong with the current educational system (in the US anyway) is too many people are worried about keeping their jobs and not making sure that kids are properly educated. It becomes a huge political circus rather than a public service to better the next generation.
... well you know, and legislators to stop passing laws that give more money to districts where kids pass, thus encouraging teachers to pass kids regardless of grades. */rant*
... don't get me wrong I do believe that educational software has its place. Personally I think its something that parents should have at home, or something that should be in libraries, even school libraries. Places where it can be used without taking away from the time to learn the real important stuff.
Reports like this are a step in the right direction, showing teachers that Math, English and even fine arts are so much more needed skills than calculators, word processors, and MS Paint.
*rant* Now if we could just get school boards across the nation to get their heads out of their collective
Back on topic
My two cents.
The Anti-Blog
"Calculators are everywhere. They come in keyrings, phones, PDAs, watches, computers, even rulers and filofaxes"
Until people embed them in their skin, there will be many times in one's life when one doesn't have a calculator - not to mention a scientific/graphing calc.
"If you could do the test and get the correct answers, then clearly you knew how to work them out."
Uh, no. My 15 year old TI-55III could do numerical integration, so I could easily come up with a numerical answer to a problem without knowing how to do the integration - just follow the instructions and punch a few buttons.
"Some intelligent people will never be able to do difficult calculations in their head."
Sorry - if one is incapable of doing simple arithmetic in one's head - double digit addition and subtraction, single digit multiplication and division - then NO, one is NOT intelligent, at least mathematically. Also, no one mentioned doing things in their head - ever heard of a pencil and paper?
"Would you ask a builder not to dig the foundations with tools, or should he use his bare hands?"
Funny, I'm in construction, and I often ask contractors to use more "primitive" tools than the latest and greatest. I can, and have, asked people to dig with a shovel instead of a backhoe, when the backhoe breaks down and I've got other trades waiting. Or told them to use a screwdriver instead of a screwgun on finish work. Those who can't or won't do things "the old fashioned way" when appropriate either get kicked off the project or not asked to bid my work again.
You stick to your calculator, friend, and I'll keep doing the simple stuff in my head or on paper. Let's see who gets screwed more often when getting change and giving tips. Don't those dark, romantic restaurants suck when you need to use your solar calculator?
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
I've never met a kid with "ADD" who cant pay attention to the television, or the video games, or books when they want to read them.
ADD in school is just a petty excuse teachers make for students who rebel, they dont just want to admit that they suck as teachers, their classes are boring as hell and their students arent learning.
In a class where a kid is not learning a damn thing or a class thats boring as h ell, suddenly the symptoms of ADD appear.
I think if a kid really does have ADD the best way to deal with it is to let them use the computer, and let them learn in their own way.
Also when a kid is on the computer, if they do have ADD even if they are distracted they still learn something, even if they go drift off into other websites as long as the school has things setup so the kid is always learning no matter where they go on the net, it can work.
Dont allow any games, perhaps you shouldnt allow someone with ADD to go into a chatroom, but if they have a problem paying attention and the goal is for them to gather as much knowledge as possible perhaps the best way is to let them direct their own learning. Not everyone learns in a structured way, and the solution is not to blame the ADD, but to teach them in a way which they accept, even people with ADD know alot about certain things.
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There are four main uses that we have identified:
- Collaboration - Our students use PC's for e-mail, sharing files to complete group projects, passing on links to web sites and articles from on-line databases. It's not uncommon to have two or three students working together with one serving as the "record keeper" keeping track of information which is later saved and shared electronically with the other group members. Isn't this the way you work as an adult? For our students, their
/home folder becomes a virtual notebook where they organize their important stuff and the /public share becomes a means of exchange.
- Communication - The most used applications in our classrooms are not the flashy, multimedia based, tutorial programs that you see in the educational sections of software stores. When our students are working they use the same programs the rest of the world uses, word processing, e-mail, spreadsheets and presentation software. There is little room for the computer as tutor concept in today's busy classroom.
- Analysis - Here's an area where computers have changed education (or should...). With spreadsheets and graphing tools now on every PC, students have the power to ask and answer "what if" questions and to make ready comparisons of data. Anyone who has used a spreadsheet to investigate something as simple as the costs of a trip to Disneyland will understand how useful these tools are in the classroom. Examples of good programming exist in things like the chart wizard in Excel and OO Calc. Preview buttons and updated wysiwyg windows make it easy for students to interact with the software and make choices. They may be using a wizard but they are still in control of what's going on.
- Creativity - Some of our most empowered users of technology are art and music students. Our art teachers were quick to see the potential in computers. PC's are seen as creative tools by our students after taking PC art classes where before they were only seen as productivity tools.
-- K12LTSP.orgOur students were quick to incorporate a networked environment into their day to day school life. They use it to get their work done and have found many ingenious social adaptations as well. As tools for collaboration, networked PC's are changing the classroom in the same ways they have changed the workplace.
Presentation software packages like PowerPoint and OO Impress are easily incorporated into networked classrooms. Teachers can use presentation software to add multimedia content to lessons. Students use these software tools as "virtual poster boards" for class reports. Some things just don't change and telling everyone what you know is still a big part of learning. Creating the presentation is still what brings it all together for many students.
Desktop publishing is an important use of PC's in today's schools. From one page flyers to student run newspapers, PC's make it happen. This is an area where computer use has acted as an equalizer in that everyone can now publish their ideas.
Like any other tool, computer use must be aligned with the objectives of the organization. As a systems analyst for small business, I see this all of the time. Many businesses have enough technology, it is just not applied correctly.
Does that mean I think teachers should be computer gurus? Absolutely not! If they increased the number of computers in the schools by a factor of X did they increase the number of techies, analysts and etc by the same factor? I doubt it. In some of the school systems here there is one PC tech for the school system and he hardly has the experience to adequately evaluate system implementation strategies. And none of the authority! These are key components. You can't just dump complex tools on a society, such as a school, and expect them to use the tools to maximum potential from some innate genetic skill.
âoeIn theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not." â Albert Einstein
I think the mistake you've made here is thinking that you can/should only do one of these two things:
- Memorize facts
- Understand relationships
Clearly we are capable of doing both, and if you're going to function effectively in the real world, you'd better be able to do both. Please keep in mind that I'm not saying that your approach is "wrong". I'm just saying that it is not a good way to educate people who will have to function in society.I don't think anyone would argue that you can't teach multiplication as repeated additions, but --apart from a useful too to introduce the topic-- why would you want to do that? Here are a few reasons not to "just teach concepts/formulas":
Please keep in mind that I am not advocating just teaching children facts. Teach them facts and how to use them.
There is a saying in educational technology (yes, that is my field), that computers will never replace teachers, but teachers who know computers will replace teachers that don't.
Well, a European associate turned that around: If you can be replaced by a computer, you should be.
I started my undergrad in graphic design, and there is a rightly prevailing attitude in that field that the computer is no more than a tool, and knowing a few graphics program does not make you a designer. The same holds true in education.
We have seen too many educational packages put together by business, marketing, and computer peopl,e and not enough with real instructional theory behind them. Most educators are not capableof that.
Computers are just tools, and if they've failed, it is not the computer's fault, but the people who used them incorrectly.
I for one am using computers to teach lesser-taught foreign languages (Arabic, Swahili, Korean, Chinese, etc.) to people I will never meet, and who do not have the time or resources to attend school. Computers have not failed here because: a) we are getting as good results as in-class equivalents, and b) these students would otherwise be left without this education.
I'd rather have someone respond than be modded up.
Here's the way it plays out in my classroom 3 times a year:
Three years ago I was responsible for teaching a great many of the public school teachers in Calgary basic computer skills. The Calgary Board of Education decided to make said skills required for their staff, and contracted the training company I was working for at the time to teach classes on basic use of the computer, Internet, scanners, etc.
The experience led me to the conclusion that it is not the presence of computers that makes for a poor classroom experience - it is the ability of the teacher. Many of those I taught actually resisted learning something new, either being techno-phobic or holding the attitude that they were being "forced to learn" by the board. Many had a hard time learning anything at all. The overall attitude I got from many was that they had learned everything they needed to know in teacher's college 10, 20, 30 years ago and through their own experience - and how dare this young whippersnapper try to show them something new.
The reality is that the vast majority of students in any classroom, except for those in low-income areas, will already have access to a computer at home. They will have grown up with one, unlike their teacher, and likely know how to use it better. My advice would be to throw off the censoring software and let them at it. Let the students come up with new and interesting ways to fulfill their assignments with these tools. The same skill is likely beyond the abilities or comprehension of their teacher.
This is an invalid statement. The more money people make (through an artificial minimum set by the government) the more labor costs. The more labor costs, the more things cost (inflation). The more things cost the less likely people can afford to buy things. Increasing the minimum wage DECREASES the amount of things people can buy. Price controls and wage controls just don't work, no matter how many times they are tried or what they are called.
If I'm a business and can "get away with" paying people $5.15 an hour, I might think I'm doing great. But in reality, those people are going to be poor consumers of my products/services. A rising tide lifts all boats.
Under your theory then lets raise the minimum wage to 1 million dollars a year. In that way everybody will be a millionaire. Talk about raising all boats.
Oh wait, but then a value meal at the local McDonald's will cost $480 (1 hour of work at $1mil/year), and then you'll be complaining about inflation eating away at peoples savings.
The cost of goods has to be related to the cost of the labor to produce those goods. If you raise labor costs (by setting an artificial wage floor) you raise the costs of goods created by that labor. Indexing the minimum wage to inflation will cause one of two things: a) runaway inflation or b) labor to move off-shore locations where there aren't minimum wage laws.
So in the effect of trying to do good things and "raising all boats" you've caused everybody to drown. I recommend you read a good book on basic economics theory Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy by Thomas Sowell. It should be required reading to vote in this country.