Journal Review: Are Schools Getting a Big Enough Bang for Their Education Technology Buck?

Boser, U., & Center for American, P. (2013). Are Schools Getting a Big Enough Bang for Their Education Technology Buck?.

Summary

"Schools are not using technology to do things differently."

The Center for American Progress wanted to see if states and schools are getting "enough bang for their..buck" with educational technology funding. It was found that no state has completed a return of investment analysis. Studies have been conducted with what are students doing with technology. For the most part, students are using technology to complete basic tasks, not tasks that require higher-order thinking. 

The Center for American Progress identified the following potential aspects of technology;

• Boosts the reach of highly effective teachers
• Creates greater personalization and differentiation
• Improves testing by making it less expensive and more adaptive.

They continue by saying that schools need to allow technology to be the transformative tool that it can be and not resist change. 

Finally, the Center for American Progress concludes by requesting the states and schools to complete return on investment study to decide if the spending on technology is necessary. If it is found that technology is not providing enough of a difference given the cost, then schools and states need to find a different way to spend money.

Reflection

The quote above is my big take away. I have heard this before, but here is research that shows it. I agree that too often schools take technology and continue to do what they have always done, with technology. Technology is transformative, but schools are resistant to change. I look at what my department is doing right now and see that, despite having 32 chromebooks in each room, we are developing new curriculum without developing transformative curriculum. The curriculum could have easily been created and implemented without computers. I can't help but question, why do we have the technology?

Having said that, I disagree with some of their conclusion. If a return on investment study is done and it finds that the technology is not providing enough of a difference given the cost, we should not abandon technology. Instead, we need to mandate changing how we are using the technology. Don't take away technology, change the way we are using technology.