Technology: “It Can Do More Harm Than Good”

Ryan Boots:

I’ve been something of a cheerleader on the use of new media in the classroom, principally in the form of digital textbooks.  But similar to what we’ve already seen with the calculator, such technology has the potential to inflict damage in the classroom.

Exhibit A: Right Wing Prof flipped his lid a couple of days ago over a math lesson titled "Making Money from Lemons" (produced by Microsoft no less–oh, the irony).  Just one problem: the lesson didn’t actually involve any, you know, math.  Just a bunch of mouse clicks that an orangutan could be trained to perform. 

Exhibit B: Educomputer vendor Steve Hargadon did an interview with author Larry Cuban on his 2001 book "Oversold and Underused: Computers in the Classroom".  I highly recommend all of Hargadon’s post, but I find this paragraph particularly important: