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Do students really need all that technology?
Gizmos do not a Hemingway or a Copernicus make, some experts say
 Noah Berger / AP Alex Lam-Niemeyer uses a magnifier to examine a electronic light-seeking bug he created in his Berkeley, Calif., home. "There's too much stuff on the Internet," he says, which is why he does his research at the library. |
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SAN FRANCISCO - Alex Lam-Niemeyer could care less that Google can churn up millions of Web pages when he's researching homework assignments. Typically, he researches his reports by scouring library stacks, just as students have done for generations.
"There's too much stuff on the Internet," said the 12-year-old middle schooler in Berkeley, Calif. "I did this one search and it came back with 2 million pages. It takes too long to find what you're looking for."
Against a backdrop of talking dictionaries, computerized pens, and cell phones that issue pop quizzes, parents are being promised that the latest whiz-bang gadgetry can boost their children's grade-point average and keep them from falling behind their peers.
But Alex's perspective — shared by many educational technology analysts — is that many of these big-bucks digital tools won't give the haves an advantage over classroom have-nots.
"The biggest problem that students have is that technology often ends up being a distraction," says Robin Raskin, the founder and former editor of FamilyPC magazine. "In an information society the smart person will be the one who can shut out all the distractions."
Raskin cites an example of a student who searches the Web for information on the French Revolution — and comes up with french toast, french music or french kissing. "A child can spend half the night searching for an answer to one question," Raskin said.
The Internet age has ushered in some valuable digital learning tools, some educational experts say. But parents must be choosy to find truly useful software programs, handheld devices or educational Web sites.
Parents should consider whether a product really addresses a child's weaknesses and strengths, and be sure the software is compatible with their computer, says Warren Buckleitner, editor of Children's Technology Review.
They should also take advantage of older software packages, which can be found at Web sites such as Planetcdrom.com, eBay.com and Kidsclick.com, and cost far less than current off-the-shelf products, he said.
For students wrestling with algebra, geometry or calculus, Stanford University education professor Roy Pea recommends Geometer's Sketchpad, produced by Emeryville, Calif.-based Key Curriculum Press. Introduced 15 years ago, the $39.95 Sketchpad allows students to construct objects on a computer screen and then explore their mathematical properties by dragging points on the object with a mouse.
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