Flickering Mind: The False Promise of Technology in the Classroom and How Learning Can Be Saved
SummaryText
In this book, author Todd Oppenheimer sets out to answer the question: What impact has computer technology had on public education in the US?
To write this story, Oppenheimer visited dozens of schools across the country - public and private, urban and rural. He consulted with experts, read volumes of studies, and came to the conclusion that the essentials of learning have been almost forgotten, and that they matter much more than the novelties of technology. He argues that every time we computerise a science class or shut down a music programme to pay for new hardware, we lose sight of what our priorities should be - what he calls "enlightened basics."
From a review by Bob Blaisdell, Christian Science Monitor
"'At this early stage of the personal computer's history, the technology is far too complex and error prone to be smoothly integrated into most classrooms,' Oppenheimer writes. 'While the technology business is creatively frantic, financially strapped public schools cannot afford to keep up with the innovations.' Of course, this is not the first time US schools have been seduced by new technology, Oppenheimer points out. He summarises the history of technological innovations in American schools and explains how each (TV among them) has been hailed as education's savior. Oppenheimer examines individual schools where technology has been useful, but there he largely credits the enthusiasm and devotion of individual teachers. The most effective teachers, he argues, are those who know enough to ignore the latest technological products and rely on such hands-on technology as pens and paper, musical instruments, wooden blocks, and rulers. These findings contrast sharply with education advocates who argue that education will become increasingly digital, mobile, and virtual."
Todd Oppenheimer works as a journalist at The Writers Grotto, a San Francisco collective for freelance writers, filmmakers and others devoted to the narrative arts. During his 25 years as a journalist, Oppenheimer has won a variety of national awards for his writing and investigative reporting and has appeared on numerous radio and television programmes, including ABC's "Nightline." His articles have appeared in Newsweek, The Atlantic Monthly, The Washington Post, Columbia Journalism Review, Mother Jones, and an assortment of daily and weekly newspapers. This book is an expansion of one particular article, "The Computer Delusion," a 1997 cover story for The Atlantic Monthly which won a National Magazine Award for public interest reporting.
Click here to read more and order the book.
Click here to read the full review from the Christian Science Monitor.
To write this story, Oppenheimer visited dozens of schools across the country - public and private, urban and rural. He consulted with experts, read volumes of studies, and came to the conclusion that the essentials of learning have been almost forgotten, and that they matter much more than the novelties of technology. He argues that every time we computerise a science class or shut down a music programme to pay for new hardware, we lose sight of what our priorities should be - what he calls "enlightened basics."
From a review by Bob Blaisdell, Christian Science Monitor
"'At this early stage of the personal computer's history, the technology is far too complex and error prone to be smoothly integrated into most classrooms,' Oppenheimer writes. 'While the technology business is creatively frantic, financially strapped public schools cannot afford to keep up with the innovations.' Of course, this is not the first time US schools have been seduced by new technology, Oppenheimer points out. He summarises the history of technological innovations in American schools and explains how each (TV among them) has been hailed as education's savior. Oppenheimer examines individual schools where technology has been useful, but there he largely credits the enthusiasm and devotion of individual teachers. The most effective teachers, he argues, are those who know enough to ignore the latest technological products and rely on such hands-on technology as pens and paper, musical instruments, wooden blocks, and rulers. These findings contrast sharply with education advocates who argue that education will become increasingly digital, mobile, and virtual."
Todd Oppenheimer works as a journalist at The Writers Grotto, a San Francisco collective for freelance writers, filmmakers and others devoted to the narrative arts. During his 25 years as a journalist, Oppenheimer has won a variety of national awards for his writing and investigative reporting and has appeared on numerous radio and television programmes, including ABC's "Nightline." His articles have appeared in Newsweek, The Atlantic Monthly, The Washington Post, Columbia Journalism Review, Mother Jones, and an assortment of daily and weekly newspapers. This book is an expansion of one particular article, "The Computer Delusion," a 1997 cover story for The Atlantic Monthly which won a National Magazine Award for public interest reporting.
Click here to read more and order the book.
Click here to read the full review from the Christian Science Monitor.
Number of Pages
512
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