I can see where the point of view is negative, but I'd say the negative issue is marketing of computer-based learning rather than the effectiveness of the practice. The article focuses on one product and conflicting issues of it's effectiveness, but I think this is simply a case of overselling a product. It appears most of the reports regarding it's effectiveness show students perform as well with the program as do students without it. That by itself is not a bad thing. It's an alternative means of teaching that doesn't involve a human teacher.
The problem was the claim that students do better with the program than without. Not a surprising claim on their part as most businesses out to make a profit like to brag about how great their products are. So the school systems should take more time to investigate the effectiveness of a particular program independently. Not all systems can afford that, so independent studies by others are helpful. But I guess I view this just like purchasing anything else in the real world: Take the time to know what you're buying. I don't buy name brand things (if I ever buy name brand; too expensive) because someone tells me to. I buy them because I've tested the effectiveness and that product works best for my needs regardless of what it's called.
I can see where the point of view is negative, but I'd say the negative issue is marketing of computer-based learning rather than the effectiveness of the practice. The article focuses on one product and conflicting issues of it's effectiveness, but I think this is simply a case of overselling a product. It appears most of the reports regarding it's effectiveness show students perform as well with the program as do students without it. That by itself is not a bad thing. It's an alternative means of teaching that doesn't involve a human teacher.
ReplyDeleteThe problem was the claim that students do better with the program than without. Not a surprising claim on their part as most businesses out to make a profit like to brag about how great their products are. So the school systems should take more time to investigate the effectiveness of a particular program independently. Not all systems can afford that, so independent studies by others are helpful. But I guess I view this just like purchasing anything else in the real world: Take the time to know what you're buying. I don't buy name brand things (if I ever buy name brand; too expensive) because someone tells me to. I buy them because I've tested the effectiveness and that product works best for my needs regardless of what it's called.