Kuro5hin hosts a Slashdot-like debate on the value of computers in the classroom.
The article that ignites the debate takes a pretty big swipe at schools that throw technology into the classroom and don’t wind up with much. For many of us early-adopters we have boxes full of stuff that didn’t quite pan out the way we imagined it would. This is not a problem unique to schools.
That being said, I’m sitting here on the couch reading this article and writing my response on my Tablet PC to this blog–over WiFi. For that matter, I read most of my news off the web now. And yesterday, I talked with my sister in another state using Skype–a free “long distance” call if you will. I also traded smiley face drawings with my young niece using MSN Messenger’s inking abilities. She’s happy because she’s been doing better in Math, maybe a tiny bit because of this math practice program I wrote for her awhile back that lets her solve simple math problems in her own writing. And I can’t forget mentioning the impact of Google and how it’s improved my ability and speed at writing programs like this.
As the author points out: the right tools can make all the difference. I’d start with Tablets for everyone, but that’s just my take. A critic would argue that there isn’t enough good Tablet software for schools–and they’d be right. But it’s a classic chicken and the egg problem. I imagine though that ingenuity will triumph and many of the lackluster technology triumphs will fade in our memories as new solutions come to the forefront.