New book on integrating technology: The Learning Edge: What Technology Can Do to Educate All Children

I liked this review of the new book by Bain & Weston, in that it’s referencing Seymour Papert’s explanation for what happened to Logo. Rather than becoming something to think with, Logo became something to be taught. That shift of focus from tool to goal led to Logo’s downfall, because that raises the question, “Well, if we add this learning goal, what has to go? The curriculum is already packed!” That’s a zero-sum game. But if instead, the question is, “What can we teach better or differently with the tool?” then we’re about increasing and improving learning, not pushing something out.

Technology in education has increased exponentially over the past years, but has it really impacted student achievement? If so, why standardized tests such as PISA or TIMMS don’t reflect this? Technology adoption by itself is not enough to ensure improvement on students, this seems to be very clear nowadays. So what makes the difference? The approach proposed by Dr. Bain and Dr. Weston changes the paradigm. It’s not about acess, it’s about use of technology. It’s not about substituting books for digital content, but empowering teachers on what they do before, in and after the classroom. How effective feedback and practices can be scaled through technology. Technology becomes the tool, not the end. The book is very approachable and easy to read, with great examples that really help illustrate the theory and implementation. This is a must read, I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in educational reform and how to implement such reform.

via Amazon.com: The Learning Edge: What Technology Can Do to Educate All Children (Technology Education Connections) (9780807752715): Alan Bain, Mark E. Weston: Books.