I am a teacher who has taught with all kinds of technology (laptops, Palms, interactive whiteboard, digital sensors, etc) and am often thought of by my colleagues as being particularly tech-savvy in my classroom. My husband is an educational researcher who has been studying the impact if 1:1 computing in middle school classrooms. That said, I am also annoyed by the rush to include technology in the classroom. From my experience and my husband's research, it seems to me that the problem with these programs is the lack of support for the teachers who are expected to use the equipment. Schools dump the equipment on reluctant and unprepared teachers. It isn't changing learning because it isn't changing teaching. Sure, kids can make a powerpoint instead of a poster and type their essays instead of write them. But if teachers are essentially trying to do the same lessons they did before, then nothing's going to change. BUT... there are teachers who are being innovative and doing things with the technology that couldn't be done any other way. Unfortunately, they are few and far between. Another issue here is what is being measured. What impacts do people want to see? Improved test scores? Ability to find and use information? Ability to think and collaborate creatively (which does happen when laptop programs are working well)? Much of the criticism for any new educational program is if it isn't improving test scores, it's not worth doing. The media (and government) seem to forget there is more to school than test scores.
