The Laptops Are Coming! The Laptops Are Coming!, by Sarah Heller McFarlane, is the cover story this month of one of my favorite periodicals, “Rethinking Schools.”
Her article shares similar concerns to the ones I’ve voiced in our group blog, In Practice, about some of the negative aspects of technology use in schools.
I’d be interested in hearing people’s reactions.
Now this is a tricky one. Having read that what struck me was how the computers seemed to limit the students to text-based interaction only. Surely with technology like voicethread available some of the negative impact on the class could’ve been tempered somewhat?
I think that planning was an issue here too. Surely when learning languages there isn’t a need for the computers to be in use 100% of the time? Certainly that isn’t even the case in my IT classroom!
David,
You make a good point. It does seem like her District went overboard in expecting technology to be used all the time.
Larry
Wow, what an interesting article. As I read it I thought to myself about how many times have I mentioned to myself that I would wished all my kids had laptops all the time. Now I am not quiet so sure.
She brings up a lot of things I never would have thought about. Planning is important. And so is timing.
I noticed one similarity between her high schoolers and 6th graders. When I give the class some free time they are all at my three computers, watching over the shoulders of those on the machines instead of interacting with each other.
What a great article. I need to reread it a few more times and let it all sink in.
On a similar theme, I discovered this article today: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google/3#
It’s title: “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”
It touches on some similar themes to the laptops article, well worth a read.
I could do my usually long blurb but will refrain. Boiled down, I really think she is “thinking too much” ….. I’ll throw that accusation back at her.
She “thinks” she thinks she knows what is happening to the students….but she is far off base. Her own paradigm and cultural make up make her ability to understand the learning the students are achieving impossible. Thus she just creates an extreme arguement and labels it “dumbing down”……. Unfortunately the author thinks too much that she thinks she knows the minds of these children. Unfortunate — because the greatest capacity a teacher does have is to think with the mind of the student….she can’t.
But interesting read.
David
http://eflclassroom.ning.com