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This is a baffling question to be asking, given that the evidence that computers are a wonderful aid to learning is scant. Making it easier to putz around on ce

This is a baffling question to be asking, given that the evidence that computers are a wonderful aid to learning is scant. Making it easier to putz around on cellphones at school hardly sounds like a educational advance.

hugh3 16y ago
I don't blame the kids for saying this is what they want, but I would blame any adult who listened to 'em. Ask kids what they want, and school will be optional and lunch will be ice cream.
guptaneil 16y ago
Actually, there is significant evidence that integrating mobile technology into the classroom does in fact aid learning, but only of the instructor is will to embrace the technology instead of fight it. Unfortunately, most instructors don't feel comfortable changing their teaching methods, so technology is seen as having no impact. Here's one article about one professor's experience with integrating Twitter into the classroom: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_one_teacher_uses_twitter_in_the_classroom.php http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_one_teacher_uses_tw... There are numerous similar examples of teachers that are experimenting with technology and seeing positive results, but are being stonewalled by administrators who are afraid of trying something new. Yes, there's always a risk that students will just be able to play Angry Birds on their phones in class, but then, those same students can just doodle in their notebooks instead. Should we take all notebooks and pencils away? Any tool has the potential to be abused, but it also has the potential to significantly help.
- onan_barbarian 16y ago
  Significant evidence != an article about some dude using Twitter in the classroom. The plural of blogpost isn't 'data', just like the plural of anecdote isn't data. Do you have a _study_? You know, one of those strange things where two different approaches go through this bizarre process of comparison. So far most of the evidence for tech in the classroom is either inconclusive or tends to connect it with negative outcomes.
  - guptaneil 16y ago
    http://www.nd.edu/~cangst/NotreDame_iPad_Report_01-06-11.pdf http://www.nd.edu/~cangst/NotreDame_iPad_Report_01-06-11.pdf http://robertkozma.com/images/kozma_jrte.pdf http://robertkozma.com/images/kozma_jrte.pdf http://www.educause.edu/ELI7Things http://www.educause.edu/ELI7Things http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practic... http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_educa... Not formal studies but great anecdotes: http://www.fastcompany.com/1727292/apple-ipad-officially-passes-the-higher-eduction-test-exclusive http://www.fastcompany.com/1727292/apple-ipad-officially-pas... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1-8OOrBi0o&feature=player_embedded http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1-8OOrBi0o&feature=playe... Anything on http://speirs.org/ http://speirs.org/ And of course, there's always the success of Khan Academy. There are many, many more studies and anecdotes available, but these are the ones I either had bookmarked or could remember off the top of my head. You're right that there's no absolutely conclusive and irrefutable study about tech in classroom because nobody has undertaken such a bold experiment. However, all of the evidence is there and points to the potential of adopting newer tools in classrooms. Unfortunately, people who blindly dismiss all applications of technology in the classroom have slowed farther, more informative studies from being conducted.
    - onan_barbarian 16y ago
      This appears to be a dump of randomly selected research papers, many of which don't measure anything remotely connected to outcomes. The standard practice seems to be to do a bunch of surveys afterwards to measure how awesome everyone thought everything had been. However, I did appreciate this bit from the ed.gov one: "An unexpected finding was the small number of rigorous published studies contrasting online and face-to-face learning conditions for K–12 students." No shit.
      - guptaneil 16y ago
        The data set is too small to achieve a conclusive outcome yet. As more classrooms experiment with these technologies, we'll get more insights. Until then, surveys are the best way to get an idea of how something is working for students. As for the random dump of research papers, I tried originally offering a more succinct argument with an anecdote, but you wanted more evidence so I obliged.

hugh3 16y ago

I don't blame the kids for saying this is what they want, but I would blame any adult who listened to 'em. Ask kids what they want, and school will be optional and lunch will be ice cream.

guptaneil 16y ago

Actually, there is significant evidence that integrating mobile technology into the classroom does in fact aid learning, but only of the instructor is will to embrace the technology instead of fight it. Unfortunately, most instructors don't feel comfortable changing their teaching methods, so technology is seen as having no impact. Here's one article about one professor's experience with integrating Twitter into the classroom: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_one_teacher_uses_twitter_in_the_classroom.php http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_one_teacher_uses_tw... There are numerous similar examples of teachers that are experimenting with technology and seeing positive results, but are being stonewalled by administrators who are afraid of trying something new. Yes, there's always a risk that students will just be able to play Angry Birds on their phones in class, but then, those same students can just doodle in their notebooks instead. Should we take all notebooks and pencils away? Any tool has the potential to be abused, but it also has the potential to significantly help.

onan_barbarian 16y ago
Significant evidence != an article about some dude using Twitter in the classroom. The plural of blogpost isn't 'data', just like the plural of anecdote isn't data. Do you have a _study_? You know, one of those strange things where two different approaches go through this bizarre process of comparison. So far most of the evidence for tech in the classroom is either inconclusive or tends to connect it with negative outcomes.
- guptaneil 16y ago
  http://www.nd.edu/~cangst/NotreDame_iPad_Report_01-06-11.pdf http://www.nd.edu/~cangst/NotreDame_iPad_Report_01-06-11.pdf http://robertkozma.com/images/kozma_jrte.pdf http://robertkozma.com/images/kozma_jrte.pdf http://www.educause.edu/ELI7Things http://www.educause.edu/ELI7Things http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practic... http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_educa... Not formal studies but great anecdotes: http://www.fastcompany.com/1727292/apple-ipad-officially-passes-the-higher-eduction-test-exclusive http://www.fastcompany.com/1727292/apple-ipad-officially-pas... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1-8OOrBi0o&feature=player_embedded http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1-8OOrBi0o&feature=playe... Anything on http://speirs.org/ http://speirs.org/ And of course, there's always the success of Khan Academy. There are many, many more studies and anecdotes available, but these are the ones I either had bookmarked or could remember off the top of my head. You're right that there's no absolutely conclusive and irrefutable study about tech in classroom because nobody has undertaken such a bold experiment. However, all of the evidence is there and points to the potential of adopting newer tools in classrooms. Unfortunately, people who blindly dismiss all applications of technology in the classroom have slowed farther, more informative studies from being conducted.
  - onan_barbarian 16y ago
    This appears to be a dump of randomly selected research papers, many of which don't measure anything remotely connected to outcomes. The standard practice seems to be to do a bunch of surveys afterwards to measure how awesome everyone thought everything had been. However, I did appreciate this bit from the ed.gov one: "An unexpected finding was the small number of rigorous published studies contrasting online and face-to-face learning conditions for K–12 students." No shit.
    - guptaneil 16y ago
      The data set is too small to achieve a conclusive outcome yet. As more classrooms experiment with these technologies, we'll get more insights. Until then, surveys are the best way to get an idea of how something is working for students. As for the random dump of research papers, I tried originally offering a more succinct argument with an anecdote, but you wanted more evidence so I obliged.