Richard E. Clark put it succinctly: Media like television, film, and computers “deliver instruction but do not influence student achievement any more than the truck that delivers our groceries causes changes in our nutrition.”
The U.S. departments of Education and Labor, in partnership with the National Science Foundation, should work with the video game industry to support the research and development of video games that promote learning, a report released today recommends.
Internet monitoring software has become increasingly popular among parents with kids active on the internet. But one criticism is the software could violate the trust between a parent and child-- or worse, drive the child to a computer that isn't monitored.
Such sites, with their emphasis on online safety and development of Internet skills, offer a good middle ground for schools that are concerned about harmful uses of social-networking sites yet want their students to learn how to use the Web in more sophisticated ways, said Douglas A. Levin, the senior director of education policy at Cable in the Classroom. The Washington-based nonprofit group is an advocate for better uses of technology in schools.
The theory is that games teach skills that employers want: analytical thinking, team building, multitasking and problem-solving under duress. Unlike humans, the games never lose patience. And they are second nature to many kids.
These students don't even come to class, they just log in to the Internet. The entire microeconomics course is a video game that students play online to earn three college credits.
A majority of high school students say they monitor current events at least once a week by using the Internet, and most of the information they are accessing comes from Web portals such as Google and Yahoo!, not from blogs or other informal sites, according to a survey.
Welcome to the pseudoscience (OK, outright lies) of the online world. Trouble is, most kids believe that if it's on the Internet, it must be true. That could mean big trouble for students who haven't honed their critical-thinking skills.
School boards across the country already have blocked sites such as MySpace and Facebook on school computers. But school districts now are reaching into students' home computers, severely punishing and even expelling students for what they write on those sites from home.
MySpace lacks that anchor. Having a site devoted to social networking is like having a site devoted to fun. It feels shallow, and as the novelty of online social networking wears off, MySpace users might migrate to the niche social sites.
RSS for Tags: news + october06
Richard E. Clark put it succinctly: Media like television, film, and computers “deliver instruction but do not influence student achievement any more than the truck that delivers our groceries causes changes in our nutrition.”
School boards across the country already have blocked sites such as MySpace and Facebook on school computers. But school districts now are reaching into students' home computers, severely punishing and even expelling students for what they write on those sites from home.
discuss this
email this
When an Edtags member saves something that piques your interest,
click their photo or username to read their profile.