n October, a large international study titled Students, Computers, and Learning
by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development reported that
access to computers had no significant impact on students’ proficiency in reading,
math, and science. In many countries, using computers frequently at school
actually worsened performance.
Although these findings may relate to differences in professional development
or implementation, it was clear that drill-and-practice software had a negative
effect on student performance. The report’s authors appropriately acknowledged
that “building deep conceptual understanding and higher-order thinking requires
intensive student–teacher interactions, and technology sometimes distracts from
this valuable human engagement.”
Nevertheless, school districts are rapidly adopting 1:1 laptop initiatives
coupled with blended learning models aimed at increasing the amount of time
By Julie Coiro
LET’S GET
PERSONAL
Balancing talk with technology to truly
personalize learning
Julie Coiro
(jcoiro@uri.edu), an ILA
member since 1992, is an
associate professor in the
School of Education at the
University of Rhode Island. She
currently serves on the ILA
Board of Directors.
OUR VIEW
6
January/February 2016 | LITERACY TODAY