I. Your Info
Name: Morgan Webb
Article Title: “Education Technology Catching on at Last”
by The Economist
II. Overview
This article was about how technology in classrooms is
becoming the norm. Classrooms from big cities to rural communities are integrating
technology in their lessons. The classrooms/schools that are utilizing
technology are resulting in students with higher test scores and better grades
overall. There were some concerns discussed in the article. One concern is that
teachers will eventually be replaced and the other concern was that the
benefits of using the technology will be one-sided. The wealthy kids or
intelligent kids will see more benefits because they are exposed more to it
than are lower class students. The article assured that all can benefit from
using technology in the classroom; and that technology will make the teacher’s
job easier but not take it away.
III. Bulleted Reference
Points
1.
“Teaching
programs that monitor children’s progress can change that [impersonalized
lessons], performing a role more like that of the private tutors and
governesses employed long ago in wealthier households.”
2.
“Data
also allow continual assessment of his abilities and shortcomings, letting
schools, teachers and parents understand both the pupil himself and the way
human beings learn.”
3.
“America’s
teaching unions fear a hidden agenda of replacing properly trained humans with
some combination of technology and less qualified manpower, or possibly just
technology.”
4.
“The
promise in all this for teachers is less drudgery, since some of their duller
tasks can be automated, and interesting new challenges as they work out how to
reorganise their classes. If the technology can be used as an extra pair of
hands in the classroom, teachers will find it possible to do more.”
5.
“’We
know more about our users than any company has ever known about anyone.’ As
with any enterprise involving big data, it is possible to imagine such stores
of information being misused.”
6.
“The
second worry is that the benefits of all this change may end up disproportionately
with the rich, the bright and the highly motivated, who already make most use
of online resources.”
7.
“Used
properly, edtech offers both the struggling and the brilliant a route to higher
achievement. The point is to maximize the potential of every child.”
8.
“America
continues to slip down the international rankings in education, falling during
the past three decades from first to tenth in the educational level of those
leaving high school, and from third to 13th for college students. Education
technology could reverse this trend—if it is not jinxed by politics,
bureaucracy and outdated institutional structures. Countries where it is not
now have the chance to race ahead.”
IV. Reflection and
significance to you
This article was thought provoking as it presented the
pros and cons of technology in the classroom. I understand the fear of teachers
that they will be replaced by machines; however, technology can be helpful in
doing work as well as helping students understand. During this course, we focus
a lot on how technology can benefit our students, but I realize that technology
is just as beneficial to me as a future educator. It can make grading and
assessments so much easier and can be done in a more efficient and organized
way. The point they brought up about the information they have on students
really caused me to think. It’s true that so much information of our students
will be on some kind of technology. It’s how our world works now. All kinds of
records are documented on technology. I think that schools and teachers be sure
that they install a very good protection software for their computers to
protect the information of the children. This article was a bit one-sided, but I
appreciated that they addressed the concerns. Technology can be beneficial to each
student and can personalize their learning. I think technology is a necessity
in the classroom because it can offer so much to enhance learning experiences.
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