From Publishers Weekly
Are computers the "ultimate innovation" that will lead us into a 21st-century educational utopia? Or are they merely distractions, part of a long line of technological advances that are incompatible with proven traditions of learning? Oppenheimer's book, titled after a metaphor for the short attention spans of today's students, locates the waning educational computing craze in the historical context of an ed-tech trajectory that has brought visions of accelerated academic achievement followed by disappointment. Like B.F. Skinner's teaching machines of the 1950s, computer-based learning promises more than it can deliver, says journalist Oppenheimer. He visited elite public schools, under-resourced schools, high-tech schools and even a school for juvenile offenders, and has interviewed many experts. He draws compelling portraits of excellent schools in which computers play a peripheral role, arguing that the tried-and-true methods of progressive education-inquiry, exploration, hands-on learning and focused discussion-do more to develop students' intellectual capacities than technological gadgetry does. His well-researched and intelligible argument also takes aim at such current obsessions as standardized testing. Oppenheimer doesn't advocate removing computers from the classroom, but argues for a hard look at what can and can't be accomplished with the enormous investments they require ($90 billion just during the 1990s). Policy makers and teachers might be better off, he writes, remembering the basics: good teaching, small classes, critical thinking, meaningful work and the human touch.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Booklist
The other side of the much-ballyhooed promise of technology in improving education is the reality that it often distracts from real education, provides new opportunities for commercial interests, and only contributes to growing inequities and lack of performance. Oppenheimer sorts through the concerns of advocates and critics of technology in the classroom and examines the ways that schools actually use computer technology and the Internet, from absorbing research projects to typing drills to games. Part 1 focuses on the false promises of technology, citing past failures to deliver improved academic performance. Part 2 examines the hidden troubles of high-tech kinks, from system incompatibilities to the shifting of funds for books into computers. In part 3, Oppenheimer examines successful technology programs at schools, businesses, and even the U.S. Army. He concludes with suggestions on how schools can maximize the benefits of technology and integrate computers into effective educational programs. This is a helpful resource for educators and parents weighing issues concerning computers and education. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
