Linda Roberts Calls for Studies of Technology in Classrooms

[Anton Ninno <anton@ERICIR.SYR.EDU>]

Know any computer-using K12 educators?  Thought so!  - Anton

-----------
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 09:59:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: Andy Carvin <acarvin@gsn.org>
To: wwwedu (wwwedu discussion)
Subject: Linda Roberts Calls for Studies of Technology in Classrooms
Message-ID: <199804271659.JAA16216@gsn.org>

> From the Benton policy list:

Title:  U.S. Official Calls for Studies of Technology in Classrooms
Source: New York Times (CyberTimes)
<http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/04/cyber/articles/27education.html>
Author: Pamela Mendels

Description: Linda Roberts, director of the Office of Educational
Technology at the Dept. of Education, made a pitch yesterday to begin
serious studies of whether the use of technology (computers and the
Internet) in schools improves student achievement. "It's important to
collect baseline data and to deliberately track performance," said Roberts
during a conference on schools and technology in Manhattan. The research
is necessary, she said, to show that the billions of dollars being spent
to wire schools are worth it.  "School districts will be called to task
for 'What are you doing with your money and what difference does it
make?'"

At both the conference in Manhattan and at the SchoolTech Exposition and
Conference, Roberts pointed to the need for rigorous assessment of
classroom technology. "We've GOT to collect the data," she said during the
latter keynote. While the Clinton administration has been a "major
booster" of technology use in schools, a number of critics are questioning
whether the investment in school technology is a wise one.  Among other
items, they wonder how much of the push for technology in schools is being
generated by hardware and software companies with "an economic interest in
cultivating a lucrative market for their wares in schools. They also
question "how much truly valuable classroom content exists free on the
Web. And they note that technology is expensive and quickly obsolete, and
that, to date, there is little hard research establishing that it helps
students learn better."

Andy Carvin
WWWEDU Coordinator and Moderator
andy@gsn.org

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