A new report that questions this assumption was released this week by the Education Development Center (http://www.edc.org/) and the Nellie Mae Education Foundation (http://www.edviewpoints.org/). The report, titled Integrating Technology with Student-Centered Learning, covers a number of topics, including the use of technology to individualize education (a theme in the book Disrupting Class by Clayton Christensen), but also draws the conclusion that many students are underprepared to utilize technology in their post-high school experience. One telling statistic: 43 percent of the surveyed students felt unprepared to use technology in their college and work lives.
Better used, the report concludes, there are three very important roles for educational technology in today's schools:
- Help diagnose and address individual learning needs.
- Develop the skills essential for life in a 21st century global society.
- Provide a more active learning experience, including transferring some responsibility for learning to the student.
The full report is available here: http://www.nmefdn.org/uploads/Integrating%20Tech%20with%20SCL.pdf
