Sitting here sweltering in the dog days of summer, no one really wants to be thinking about reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic. Still, it won't be long before school bells are ringing, locker doors slamming, and, if the PC industry has its way, disk drives whirring.
Education is fad happy (although cynics might contend "fad plagued"). From whole-language strategies to school vouchers, another new liniment for educational aches and pains is around the corner. Computers in the classroom is one such teacher's pet. Computers, say the experts, will make teachers more effective, students more attentive, and learning more meaningful.
The problems that fads are supposed to solve range from high truancy rates to low test scores. According to the results of the International Assessment of Education Progress exams given to students in 15 nations, U.S. students ranked 7th in science and 14th in math. At the same time, U.S. SAT scores show little improvement, with the verbal scores dipping from 426 to 423 while math scores improved slightly from 467 to 476. PCs, say the PC industry, will improve this.
Schools have long been among the crown jewels for computer companies. The software vendor who cracks the halls of academia with a killer app will move to the front of the class, finance-wise. Book publishers have known this for years--that's why they wine-and-dine textbook-selection committees, particularly in California and Texas whose leads other states follow.
Education is big business, and technology vendors--from PC makers like Apple and IBM to Chris Whittle's Channel One in-school TV commercials--want a piece of it. The U.S. alone spends more than $215 billion a year to educate over 46 million students in pre-university schools. Even a small piece of a multibillion dollar market is worth going for, and marketing efforts are on the upswing. (At a recent education technology conference, one investment banker was quoted as saying that "educational multimedia will be the investment opportunity of the '90s.")
PC companies make their pitch to schools in a variety of ways, including studies like the Software Publishers Association's "Report on the Effectiveness of Technology in Schools 1990--1992" conducted by Interactive Educational Systems Design, an educational-technology consulting firm. It comes as no surprise that the report, ultimately funded by software companies, concludes that technology has a positive effect on student achievement, self-concept, and attitudes.
However, the U.S. arguably is ahead of other countries in implementing technology in schools (about half the states are on the road to requiring computers in the classroom), even while SAT scores are down from 20 years ago with no improvement in reading and writing skills. None of the other countries in the International Assessment study rely on computers to the extent the U.S. does.
Lewis Perelman, author of School's Out: Hyperlearning, the New Technology, and the End of Education, says, "Education cannot be reformed, it needs to be replaced." He adds that "schools don't need to be housed in buildings at all--most can be accessed through a portable, personal telecomputer terminal," explaining that through telelearning "schools will be transformed from a centralized architectural and bureaucratic structure to a dispersed information and service channel."
Less extreme are research projects like Vivarium, which has been exploring technology-based solutions for several years. Vivarium, sponsored by Alan Kay and Apple Computer, studies computers as "amplifiers for learning" at the Open School in Los Angeles. According to Kay, Vivarium seeks "to better understand the value computers might have as supporting media."
Ultimately, however, many arguments for technology-based solutions to education woes don't wash. Hardware and software are often too expensive and ill-designed, and teachers too busy and inadequately trained to use them effectively. Technology can help in many situations, but it's not the sole answer as Perelman and others might profess.
PCs do have a place in schools but we need to look at where computers have proven successful, then model education use accordingly. In business, for instance, PCs have clearly made a difference in record keeping and communication. Spreadsheets and databases for calculating and recording grades and maintaining student records can free up teacher time, enabling more teacher-student interaction. Networking PCs with administrative offices would make even more time available. Adding communication capabilities so that teachers can communicate with parents is another step. Simulation, which has proven successful in business and engineering, lends itself to student exploration in science and math. (The Vivarium project has had great success with ecological simulations.)
Technology is not the solution to education's problems. Instead, technology is, as Alan Kay says, "supporting media" that makes it possible for teachers to more closely interact with students and parents and more closely focus on individual needs--elements that even Perelman admits are critical.
Jonathan Erickson
editor-in-chief
Copyright © 1993, Dr. Dobb's Journal