Probably one reason why people are fired up is due to the fact that many participants are working towards building connections to technology for people that have less than adequate access to technology. When people read an article like that, it indicates that technology is not all that it is cracked up to be. The problem is that this group sees the incredibly powerful aspects of technology and resists any thoughts that see otherwise. We are essentially defending technology...being the geeks we are. Most of us thinks technology is very important in a variety of contexts, one being education. We are fighting to promote technology, not give it a bad name.
I have not done extensive reading in the area of education and technology research but I have done a little. What I know is that there are large gaps in research and more needs to be done to be able to integrate these technologies effectively into classrooms. I am always glad to read new research in hopes of learning something new. I look forward to reading the full article. Great explanation about the "spin" involved. Damn reporters. What were the thoughts of the researchers when they saw the article? Was there a call to the reporter to question the tone of the article? Again, look forward to the full article Taylor Taylor Kearns IL Program Manager / Technology Lab Project Metropolitan Center for Independent Living (MCIL) 1600 University Ave W Suite 16 St. Paul, MN 55104 651-603-2017 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Directions -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Saul Rockman Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2006 11:22 PM To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group Subject: Re: [DDN] $14 Million Study Proves (???) Student Laptops... Folks, Let's not criticize the Texas research, since it was the first year of a multi-year study with only partial implementation in the initial year. We all have great hopes that the study of technology immersion will yield useful information. We should give it a year or two. Historically, significant interventions -- technology, curriculum, pedagogy -- often result in lower test scores during their initial year, as teachers learn anew and change their standard practice. Let's go after the journalists who look for a story hook that will capture an audience, regardless of how much they misconstrue our findings. We, as researchers, have an obligation to work with journalists to help them find powerful hooks for complex and difficult stories. We need to simplify how we portray our research and clearly state our conclusions and methods, incorporating our qualifiers as we need to. We need to take our time, checking periodically for comprehension, offering to be available for further questions, and providing written summaries when possible. As someone who has been studying the use and impact of one-to-one laptop programs for the past ten years, I was disturbed by the reportage and the conclusions drawn by the reporter; and as someone who conducts evaluations of professional development for science journalists, I realize how much work is needed to prepare and inform those who will be presenting our findings to the general public. Most of the time, we're happy just to be mentioned -- and have our name spelled correctly. Saul ======================================================== Saul Rockman / Rockman Et Al [EMAIL PROTECTED] 49 Geary Street, Suite 530 San Francisco, CA 94108 ph (415) 544-0788 fax (415) 544-0789 www.rockman.com Cell: 415/407-7033 ======================================================== On Jul 23, 2006, at 12:27 PM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I am not sure who decided upon the efficacy of the laptop study or who > thought of the headline, but I believe anyone familiar with the basic > tenets of science would have a good laugh at the idea that such a > study 'proves' anything. Even 'hard science' reearchers of a research > study for which one can have rigorous controls in place to account for > unforeseen variables would not use the word prove after one study. In > education, there are so many variables--unforeseen, unseen, > unrecognized, hidden, ideological, etc., that most of such research is > bogus. How about a study to see if students of well-paid teachers > performed 'better' than poorly-paid ones? You won't see such a study > because state legislatures don't want to pay teachers more money. > _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
