Test scores are plummeting while tens of billions in federal aid flows to schools. A visit to a recent education technology convention provides a glimpse of the frenzy to profit from the recovery efforts.
I’m not saying tech doesn’t have a place. Obviously we shouldn’t go back to drawing things in dirt with a stick. But we’ve tried EVERYTHING except for what would make a significant improvement: the best teachers and more time in the classroom.
There is roughly zero percent chance I would have paid any attention to online lectures/classes when I was in grade school or high school. I couldn’t even pay attention to online classes during grad school trying to get my Masters. I already didn’t do my homework or study for tests in school, so the only way I learned was from being in person and listening to the teacher. If I would have been expected to get most of my learning from online courses, I would be in a very different place in life right now.
But resources like Coursera and EdX are incredible - why not let the best educators make courses like that and then teach millions of students?
It also allows them to have a freer syllabus.
I’m not saying tech doesn’t have a place. Obviously we shouldn’t go back to drawing things in dirt with a stick. But we’ve tried EVERYTHING except for what would make a significant improvement: the best teachers and more time in the classroom.
Yeah, it’s just not clear how scalable that is.
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There is roughly zero percent chance I would have paid any attention to online lectures/classes when I was in grade school or high school. I couldn’t even pay attention to online classes during grad school trying to get my Masters. I already didn’t do my homework or study for tests in school, so the only way I learned was from being in person and listening to the teacher. If I would have been expected to get most of my learning from online courses, I would be in a very different place in life right now.
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