Greenhaus Education and Other "Effects"

I have been doing some independent research on technology use in classrooms.  With all the news about 1:1 classrooms and students using technology apps to learn, I was curious about what is actually happening.  Some of my findings have made me really question whether some of our approaches - i.e. 1:1, computers vs. tablets, are really supporting the way students are learning with technology. I found this interesting report from Project Tomorrow called "From Chalkboards to Tablets: The Emergence of the K-12 Digital Learner"    with some fascinating statistics regarding the technology students are using to help them learn.  You should download the full report (available as a PDF), but I will share a few of the findings here. One thing that stood out for me is the prevalence of smartphone use by students, especially as they get into the upper grades.  Table 1 below shows the use of both personal and school provided devices.  Very apparent that 1:1 and...

I have been reading lately about several school districts who are mandating that students take some online courses as a requirement for graduation. This article by Michelle R. Davis , Districts Require E-Courses for Graduation ,  talks about a district mandating that students take one online course before they graduate. Another article by Michelle R. Davis , State and District Measures Require Students to Take Virtual Classes , explores some more districts and states who are requiring online learning for graduation.  The reasons vary but include the desire to get students familiar with online learning that they may experience in a college or work situations, or to cut costs, as online learning is seen as a cheaper alternative, or to provide more options for students.  All great reasons. The arguments against mandating online learning also vary. I will just list a few here. Access to computers and Internet is an obvious problem, requiring schools or other locations to ...