Having read "Articles in Favor", I'm relieved and excited to report that my belief in educational technology has been invigorated. As stated in a previous post, I believe content is king. However, I also believe books are better than stone tablets, and digital tablets are far better than stone tablets.
Examining 25 Years of Technology in U.S. Education did virtually nothing to persuade me that new technology will aid the US educational system any more than old technology (such as the Laser Disc) did. There is much comment on the lack of access to computers for the average American student, but little comment on why this deficiency is important. In reading this article I was reminded of an excellent line from Stephen Levin's book A Gradual Awakening in which the author states "...enlightenment isn't enlightenment, enlightenment is a word". But, in this case, one must say "technology isn't technology, technology is a word". And technology alone is certainly not education. So, what is the important component here?
How Does Technology Influence Student Learning? was the most illuminating and persuading argument I read (given the fact that numerous studies where referenced). Again and again the article stresses "First and foremost, research reminds us that technology generally improves performance when the application directly supports the curriculum standards being addressed." In other words, when technology is used to amplify good content, and is part of a system that also includes quality assessment, it (technology) does make a difference. The Waldorf method employs virtually no "technology", but the curriculum is highly effective, and greatly sought after-- even by techno-guru parents who want (and can afford) the best education for their children. The guiding light of this reading is that curriculum must be well developed, teachers must be effective, and only then can technology be deployed to further stimulate these other, more primary pieces of the puzzle of education.
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