Computers may not boost student achievement


That's the message from research presented here Monday, which suggests that spending millions of dollars to bring technology into kids' homes and schools has decidedly mixed results.

Taxpayer-supported school computer and Internet giveaways are political gold, but studies have questioned whether they actually help student achievement. This research, presented at the American Educational Research Association's annual meeting, confirms skeptics' doubts.


In one study, researchers from Syracuse and Michigan State universities examined a program that gave laptop computers to middle-school students in Ohio in 2003. Preliminary findings are mixed.


"Overall, we don't know if it is a worthwhile investment," says Syracuse researcher Jing Lei.

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?idq=/ff/story/0055%2F20060411%2F0746586071.htm&sc=news&brand=usatoday

Just like Head Start, a waste of time and money.

You can buy a lot of books for the same amount it costs to get a computer.

Computers may not boost student achievement

Funded and brought to you by the NEA :)


That's the message from research presented here Monday, which suggests that spending millions of dollars to bring technology into kids' homes and schools has decidedly mixed results.

Definitely mixed results , the white kids rocketed ahead doing grade work 4 yrs ahead of their current grade level , while children of 'color' were still perplexed by trying to turn the computer on .


I wouldn't believe junk news like this , if I was paid to !

Just like Head Start, a waste of time and money.

You can buy a lot of books for the same amount it costs to get a computer.
Computers aren't quite that expensive anymore, while books are. If I had to buy the hard copy of even half the ebooks I've downloaded, I would have spent about three times as much I did on my computer. Also, hard copy books can end up taking up a lot of space, while you can fit hundreds on your computer.

Don't get me wrong though, I do prefer actual books to ebooks.

Don't get me wrong though, I do prefer actual books to ebooks.

Seconded. While it is convenient to have a hard-drive or browser window stuffed full of reading material rather than living space, nothing beats relaxing on the couch, flipping through those amber pages and filling your skull to the brim with a who knows what on any given subject man had seen fit to conquer.

Though e-books being "free" and in limitless supply is an incredible expression in itself. Just imagine, hundreds of thousands of works on science, art, history and philosphy at your hot little fingertips. It's so beautiful...I think I'm going to cry... but yeah, they're a big pain in the ass to read IMHO (at least compared to books). Half the time I end up buying the books I download...if they're any good for what I need them for.

..in before obligatory porno joke.

I bought “bookshop Classics” for fifty cents at a grocery store. It contains 1,100 full works of various classical authors. If I had purchased those books it would have cost me at least $5,000. Yet I got all of them for 50 cents on one CD. They had about 10 of those types of CD’s there and I got a copy of each, I have forgotten the names of the others.



Culture your children, your students or yourself with 1,100 unabridged, printable and searchable text! Our collection ranges from the early Greek classics to 20th century literature.


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Works by Plato, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Swift, Dickens, Austen, Alcott, Melville, Poe and many more!

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If I had to buy the hard copy of even half the ebooks I've downloaded, I would have spent about three times as much I did on my computer.

Head Start is for spics and nigs.

Yeah , and it doesn't do them one iota of good . 30 yrs of Head Start and they are dumb as ever .

Nice site, thanks doc!

http://www.academicsuperstore.com/market/marketdisp.html?PartNo=735273[/I]


Why not use project gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/ ?

They have 18,000 titles .

Computers encourage laziness. I encourage my kids to hone their mental arithmetic skills, rather than go into autopilot (as they were wont to do) and click on the MS pc Calculator accessory.