Thursday, February 16, 2012

26. Schools Going Digital?

After reading New York Time's article on school going digital, I was impressed by the impacts that the increased use of technology could bring. Here I will list two reasons why I think this implementation is beneficial and one reason why it is not:
Pros:
1) Student get to learn on their own pace. From the very first example of two fifth-grade students doing math at different levels, what struck me was the greater possibility for children to learn at their own pace. Because they working on individual computers, each person gets the unique instructions they need for their level. This is good because fast-learners would not have to slow down their learning process and slower-learners wouldn't feel pressured by their classmates.
2) Faster access to information though the internet. Because of the cheaper internet availability, even the poorer students get internet access. This allows the to get almost the same amount of resources as the more well-off children. With faster information access, they can learn independently on subjects they are interested in.
Cons:
1) Bigger class size and less teacher-children interaction. From what I've seen from the article, the computers seem to have taken over the job as instructors in classrooms. The teachers only walk by students to check on and assist them. There seem to be less of a classroom discussion because it is more of a one-on-one instruction from computers to students. Also, the larger class sizes will take away the focus of the teacher on each student.

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