How technology is changing education
Good piece today from the Projo’s Linda Borg on how local schools are using technology, passing out Apple iPads to students and offering numerous online classes.
The story made me wonder whether devices like the iPad will ultimately offer cost savings to schools or become yet another dollar drain because of the need for regular maintenance and/or replacement.
The article also touts an online credit recovery program helping high school students in Woonsocket. I do wonder about the quality of online classes, which are now widely used by many school districts. Who monitors the rigor of these courses? Is an online class really the equivalent to getting instruction from a teacher in a classroom? Is it better? Will schools one day in the not so distant future be replacing teachers with computers?
Here’s a good question: how will we be paying for the technology necessary to administer the PARCC exams four times a year as we committed to in RttT? What will the total cost of that be?