EDCI 410 - Assignment2

Assignment 2 - Due July 12

I would like you to read Part 3 and Part 4 of a series of articles sponsored by the Canadian Teacher's Federation found HERE.

In the Third article, claims that technology in the classroom will improve student learning are questioned. Respected researchers point out some of the research shortcomings: failure to adequately describe control group activities; failure to control for possible interactions among teaching and learning variables; and the problems associated with generalizing the results of studies carried out in "ideal" settings to typical classroms and schools.

The Fourth part looks at the costs of introducing and maintaining information technology in the classroom. Studies point out that the costs of information technologies go well beyond the initial cost of the hardware, citing continuous upgrading, maintenance and teacher training as a never ending cycle of related costs. The impact of this on traditional education resources, such as library books and school music programs should not be underestimated. A fundamental unanswered question is whether the technologies really add sufficiently to the educational enterprise to warrant such substantial investments

Here are some other sites which question the use of technology:

From these articles and the two websites summarize in ONE page the main points why teachers might be against the use of technology in schools. Do their arguments make sense? in your opinion are these strong arguments?

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The Internet is a treasure-trove of information for educators and students. However, this treasure-trove can serve to waste a great deal of time for the user if not searched wisely. In a ONE page analysis, describe how a teacher would use "Search Engines" to "surf the Net". What are the best? What is a meta-search engine? Click on the following sites to find about "surfing".

Learning to Surf the Internet Effectively