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It's pretty clear in the article that the point is that all this spending on tech shows little if any improvement in test scores which would mean that it isn't

It's pretty clear in the article that the point is that all this spending on tech shows little if any improvement in test scores which would mean that it isn't a particularly good ROI for schools. Privacy concerns, sure. But moreso a huge waste of money.

Klinky 7y ago
Is having a cohesive tech ecosystem for all students really a waste of money? What is the alternative? Rely on children to provide their own devices? That has its own challenges and costs.
- qplex 7y ago
  If it doesn't translate to anything useful, like better performance then yes, it's just waste of money. People who think computers bring some great magical benefit for everyone to everything are delusional. In many cases iPads or Chromebooks are just a fancy (and often worse) substitutes for pen and paper.
  - Klinky 7y ago
    So pen and paper is your alternative? Ultimate faith in standardized testing, and suggesting pen and paper in a digitally-dominated economy seems delusional.
    - dilippkumar 7y ago
      I agree with the parent comment - pen and paper should suffice. Standardized testing has nothing to do with the medium used. There is also no point in teaching an 8 year old the tools used in today's digital economy. Not only will today's tools be obsolete by the time they're 18, the kids would've picked up all the required tech skills by just playing video games and figuring out ways to watch movies for free and what not. On the other hand, writing, sketching, craft works and sports will help develop motor skills as a child grows and hopefully lead to a healthier life that isn't addicted to a screen all the time.
      - Klinky 7y ago
        Pen and paper stopped being used as early as the early 90s. If standardized testing had nothing to do with medium then how is the parent comment measuring performance of the medium? Letting kids figure it out on their own sounds like digital abstinence education. Most people will agree spending years learning cursive italics ultimately ended up being useless. Personally writing with pencil and paper as a child was painful due to hand cramps and no one could help teach me how to hold the pencil without causing these cramps. It turned me off of writing for much of my childhood. Plus we were poor so I'd use the pencils until they were a nub because I might not get more, and asking neighbors for pencils chronically was embarrassing. Funny you say Chromebooks are a waste, but then want kids to do arts and sports at school. Those aren't free programs. Can't kids learn those motor skills outside of school? How do we judge performance gains of these extra-curricular activities? Also those sports should all be non-contact. Football and soccer have been shown to literally lead to brain damage.

Klinky 7y ago

Is having a cohesive tech ecosystem for all students really a waste of money? What is the alternative? Rely on children to provide their own devices? That has its own challenges and costs.

qplex 7y ago
If it doesn't translate to anything useful, like better performance then yes, it's just waste of money. People who think computers bring some great magical benefit for everyone to everything are delusional. In many cases iPads or Chromebooks are just a fancy (and often worse) substitutes for pen and paper.
- Klinky 7y ago
  So pen and paper is your alternative? Ultimate faith in standardized testing, and suggesting pen and paper in a digitally-dominated economy seems delusional.
  - dilippkumar 7y ago
    I agree with the parent comment - pen and paper should suffice. Standardized testing has nothing to do with the medium used. There is also no point in teaching an 8 year old the tools used in today's digital economy. Not only will today's tools be obsolete by the time they're 18, the kids would've picked up all the required tech skills by just playing video games and figuring out ways to watch movies for free and what not. On the other hand, writing, sketching, craft works and sports will help develop motor skills as a child grows and hopefully lead to a healthier life that isn't addicted to a screen all the time.
    - Klinky 7y ago
      Pen and paper stopped being used as early as the early 90s. If standardized testing had nothing to do with medium then how is the parent comment measuring performance of the medium? Letting kids figure it out on their own sounds like digital abstinence education. Most people will agree spending years learning cursive italics ultimately ended up being useless. Personally writing with pencil and paper as a child was painful due to hand cramps and no one could help teach me how to hold the pencil without causing these cramps. It turned me off of writing for much of my childhood. Plus we were poor so I'd use the pencils until they were a nub because I might not get more, and asking neighbors for pencils chronically was embarrassing. Funny you say Chromebooks are a waste, but then want kids to do arts and sports at school. Those aren't free programs. Can't kids learn those motor skills outside of school? How do we judge performance gains of these extra-curricular activities? Also those sports should all be non-contact. Football and soccer have been shown to literally lead to brain damage.