Is edtech worth it?

With all due respect, this is what I call Edutech Shiny Toy Syndrome. And it is out of control. Kids don’t need screens for individualized educational experiences. They are already on those stultifying, addictive, isolating screens far too much. Bah! Humbug!

Source: Silicon Valley’s Schools Program — Students Are an Afterthought | National Review

I don’t agree with everything the author says, mostly because she is aiming more for hyperbole than having a conversation on the issue. But, she is what parents and community members could be reading, and we must be ready with out counter arguments.

No one would ever agree that putting a student in front of a screen for the sake of giving the student something to do is educationally sound advice, but, students can use technology to accomplish more than they can do without. The superintendent quoted in the article is right:

“We’re not trying to boost a test score here, we are trying to change a narrative for students.”

Giving students the tools that they will be using in the future, and making work relevant, is the aim of technology in education.