Paperless Classroom : An opinion.

TIME magazine had an article that caught my attention . It's title is obvious "The Paperless Classroom is Coming".  A new A national push to get a computer into each student's hands will upend the way American children are taught  . I am sure every teacher is jumping for joy . As of now , most classrooms use new technological advances , which is in hope that it will further the learning of the students. Some say this is over-hyped at best, an outright fad at worse. Well let's get down to it and see what it all takes to do it. Like  it or not technology is becoming a big part if not of  teaching then definitely of students learning. Now digital textbooks are everywhere and the number of  school districts adopting  iPads & chromebooks  as learning tools in classrooms is exponentially increasing, but where is this going ? (1)>  Is there a catch-22 here ? I fear that the educational system may be pressing too much tech into the learning environment . If it's going to one day replace paper , textbooks . Its heading to replace the "teacher". You might call the new instructors " techies" , because of  the so called new ways of delivering classroom instruction via a computer , sure most teachers go to collage and get a 4 year degree , but that might not  be good enough . The instructor has to be well versed in the new advances . The pen ,paper and chalk ( white ) boards are dustbin . As many schools and districts are now rushing to buy every student a digital device, I’m concerned that most one-to-one implementation strategies are based on the new tool as the focus of the program. I have observed, the one-to-one computing plan puts enormous focus on the device itself, the enhancement of the network, and training teachers to use the technology. Then, teachers are instructed to go! But go where? I see that there is a lot of potential for instruction of use of devices , but I don't think educators should replace the text book , and the paper .Computers can help students learn at their own pace, based on what they know rather than on whatever class they are in.   There is one other problem that could SOON put these devices to a test .  The Coachella Valley Unified School District has handed out so many iPads this year that the schools have begun draining Internet bandwidth from neighboring districts, causing slowdowns and crashes in schools throughout the desert.Thousands of student tablets and a widespread malware infection have caused Internet consumption in the district to skyrocket to nearly three times as much as Palm Springs Unified or Desert Sands Unified districts, according to the Riverside County Office of Education.The connection problems were particularly frustrating for teachers .
Goodbye textbooks ?

The rush for schools to buy tablets and other computers comes ahead of a looming deadline for new online standardized tests, scheduled to be introduced next year in 45 states. that signed on to the new national Common Core learning standards.But many advocates for education reform, including U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, see the scaling up of classroom technology as a much bigger opportunity to rethink schools, to untether them from a calendar designed in an agrarian era, a bell schedule that tells students when and where to go, and a teacher in the middle of the classroom who is considered the source of all knowledge. Those who proclaim that computers will replace teachers often naively reduce teaching to mere instruction and assessment. In doing so, they forget the true breadth and complexity of the job teachers perform. Computers are becoming better at providing customized direct instruction and at assessing student mastery of foundational knowledge and skills. But good teachers do much more than present information and drill the fundamentals. High-quality teachers guide their students through activities and projects that stretch them to analyze, synthesize, and apply what they have learned across academic subjects and into the real world. They provide personalized, qualitative feedback to help students develop their critical and creative thinking. They create a classroom culture that intrinsically motivates students by honoring their hard work and by making academic achievement socially relevant. Going above and beyond the call of duty, many of the best teachers are driven by a “whatever-it-takes” attitude to ensure that all their students receive the resources and support needed to put them on a path to success in life. Those human aspects of good instruction are not going to be replaced by machines anytime soon.

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

*** Technology creates a disparity in learning and potential. If education is the great equalizer then technology is the great inhibitor. (1)> This makes no sense. No offense to but unless we're REALLY good with computers or I.T professionals most of us adults don't know TOO much about technology i mean sure we can use it, but show a kid an Ipad they could learn more about it in a few hours than many adults know about them already. Children are innovative and not as stupid as many people think if they put their minds to something they can do it. There currently aren't many good ways to set up a security system on a network of Ipads and the parental controls out there now are literally child's play for them to beat. That's why I don't agree with it I would if there were a way to keep them off of gaming but right now there isn't, so the solution to getting children to stop playing videogames at school or home is not to hand them a free tablet without a real security system yet. SEE this article that was written back in 1998 in the heyday of Computers in the Classroom http://muse.tau.ac.il/maslool/boidem/boidem22.html .