“Lack of Computers in Schools May Be a Blessing”–OECD Report (Part 1)
The above headline comes from the Irish Times (September 15, 2015) reporting on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) study:“Students, Computers, and Learning.” Other online and print media headlines on the OECD report capture in simple words different aspects of the report: “Schools Wasting Money on Computers for Kids” or “Putting More Technology in Schools May Not Make Kids Smarter.” Of course, headlines are compressed sentence fragments seeking to convey the essence of the study.
But media DNA requires going for the sizzle, not the steak.
I have read the report’s Executive Summary, looked at the tables of over 60 countries tracking changes in computer access and use, student performance, and national expenditures between 2009 and 2012. Measuring student performance (ages 15 and 16) was the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), a test that covers countries in Europe, the Middle East, Northern Africa, Asia, and North, Central, and South America.
Here are some of the takeaways I gathered from the study.
*Increased access and use of computers in over 60 countries between 2009 and 2012 has yet to translate into improved PISA scores in reading, mathematics. or science in these nations (p. 15).
*The thinking and writing skills necessary to navigate the Internet successfully in “Lack of Computers in Schools May Be a Blessing”–OECD Report (Part 1) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:
