Welcome to NSTA's WebNews Analysis, a monthly feature to help science educators monitor and study the latest issues in education and science. The NSTA WebNews Analysis offers teachers a digest of online news articles focusing on a particular issue of importance to science educators.
We hope this service will enable you to catch up on the news you may have missed during the past month. More importantly, however, NSTA's WebNews Analysis can help you stay on top of issues affecting your science classroom. Don't forget to look for NSTA's WebNews Analysis on the last Friday of every month!
Technology in Teaching
Arguments over whether technology benefits teachers and students in the classroom were made during the month of October.
A recent national survey, for example, concluded that children ages 2-17 in Cincinnati use the Internet more than any other group of students in America. A report by the London School of Economics also supported children using the Internet, but noted students need to use the web in a more creative manner. The study, Children on the Internet, suggests encouraging students to engage in online political discussions and create their own websites instead of spending most of their time online chatting with friends and playing electronic games.
An article in the Christian Science Monitor, however, offers a different view. The story discusses a new book titled The Flickering Mind: The False Promise of Technology in the Classroom, by Todd Oppenheimer. The author and journalist provides testimony from experts and insiders on the impact of technology in America's classrooms in the publication. Although Oppenheimer lets these experts supply most of the book's content, he concludes that placing computers in the classroom has been almost "entirely wasteful" and the rush to keep schools up-to-date with the latest technological tools "largely pointless."
How do you feel about the role of technology in the teaching profession? Take NSTA’s News Poll and post a reply in the discussion area by clicking here.