5/7/2007

Schools give laptops a failing grade

This New York Times article, about school districts dropping laptop programs because they yield no educational gains, demonstrates the pitfalls of allowing technology to drive curricular decisions. Colleges and universities are not immune from this kind of irrational exuberance, which is why it is our practice at Carnegie Mellon to ensure that technologies are deployed only if they fulfill a proven educational purpose.

Regular readers of this blog may recall that last year, our Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and the Office of Technology for Education completed a study on laptop use by students in the School of Design. The results were mixed, which you can see for yourself if you click here, or read a full copy of the report here. (Thanks to EduStat Blog for pointing me to the Times article.)

Jonathan Potts