In April 1930, the Columbus Dispatch reported this:
“The labor saving machine is advancing upon the schoolroom. … What the calculator is to the office, the electric sweeper to the home, a simple apparatus which tests, scores, and also helps in teaching, may be to the schoolroom… In certain respects, no human teacher can compete with its nicety and precision.” (“Teaching Machines” by Audrey Watters, pp. 54-55)
The media loves hype. (I’m pretty sure that I’m not breaking any new ground with this statement.) Don’t let this hype become your reality. When reading the above quote, I hope you asked yourself the following questions immediately:
- What’s the process for creating tests?
- What’s the process for providing answers (and feedback!) to the student?
- How, specifically, does the device help the teacher teach and the student learn?
- How would the teacher’s work be simplified and improved through usage of the device?
- How much does it cost, who would pay for it, why would the purchaser (not the teacher!) buy it?
- What evidence backs up any of these claims?
Just because sweeping claims are made — and this is quite common when it comes to edtech — it doesn’t mean that these claims hold water. Be ever-vigilant. Analyze the entire system of teaching (and learning — it’s different!) in order to understand what must be done to possibly integrate the new technology and thereby enjoy its benefits.
