Peter Greene is selfless. He reads all sorts of blah-blah trivia so we don’t have to.
In this instance, he reviews a study of “personalized learning,” conducted mostly in charter schools. I hope by now you understand that the best kind of personalized learning involves a machine, not a person.
Peter is dismissive but he has a one-liner that will crack you up. My advice: don’t read this while drinking coffee.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Actually, once you know that Gates funded the study, you don’t even need to read the first page — or even the first word on the first page because you know that test scores are the ‘measure’ of success.
To minimize time wasted on such crap over the long run, you can automate the process on a computer
Here’s the program:
IF (funding = Gates), THEN return (Crap)
“Test to the Top (TTTT)”
(also known as “The Billionaire’s T Party”)
“The measure of success
Is score on standard test”
Said William Gates
Who did quite great
On SAT, no less
I really love to repeat Dr. Peter Greene’s expression.
“This is a big shiny mansion built on a foundation of mud sitting in the middle of a river.”
Hopefully, all conscientious educators will guide their students affirmatively and decisively about the importance of strengthening their body (by simply practicing tracks and fields), their mind (humanity, civility, and democracy through literature, history of mankind, economy and stem); finally their spirit (by reading the Fables, listening to music, poems, and learning more languages, global cultures…)
Power, money, privileges, comfort, and even smartness will fade away with our decayed bodies. There will be only civilization, humanity, love, care and support will last forever through stories, music and poems. This is why educators and education are THE KEY to preserve THE TRUE DEMOCRACY. Back2basic
I appreciate the spoiler alert about reading whatever Gates’ gurgles. Just curious, is there any mention of children, in the drivel or, is it all, “human capital pipeline”, “low hanging fruit”,”charter seats” and, admonitions that “teachers” have to shift, or get off of the pot”?
The string “child” occurs twice in the article. The word”achievement” occurs 57 times. Some other important stats:
“-based” 59
“growth” 38
“college” 50
“readiness” 14
“technology” 61
“test” 101
“data” 128
It could accidentally happen that Billy Genie funds something which is not offensive to intelligence.
So I propose a different filter: if an article on education contains any of the militaristic words “outcome”, “strategy”, or any of the “-based” constructs, we can safely move it to the toilet folder.
So here is a possible scientific review of the latest Genie funded article.
“After hitting Control-F, and typing “competency-based”, I got 31 hits. This is 31 more than allowed by the Minimum Language Standards, hence I flag the article FLUSHABLE.”
This is interesting, as I’ve two article that are critical of computer technology being used, or misused in the classroom.
The first is from Down Under.
The headmaster (principal) of the most prestigious private school in Australia is very opposed to any use of laptops in the classroom, let alone the all-day, constant use of laptops that is now going on. He doesn’t dismiss all use of laptops, of course. Students can only use them at home, and in the computer lab, but any use in the classroom proper is banned.
Here’s why:
Dr Vallance said multi-billion dollar investment by the federal government to provide laptops to high school students had done nothing but benefit the American tech-giants Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Apple, while having an obvious detrimental effect on the students in public schools. Citing laptops in the classroom as the cause, he argues that grades are gradually dropping across the country despite (because of?) the investment, according to The Australian.
DR. VALLANCE:
‘If you’re lucky enough to have a good teacher and a motivating group of classmates, it would seem a waste to introduce anything that’s going to be a distraction from the benefits that kind of social context will give you.’
‘I think when people come to write the history of this period in education … this investment in classroom technology is going to be seen as a huge fraud.’
READ HERE:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3510104/Top-Australian-private-school-banned-laptops-computers-scandalous-waste-money-distracting-students.html#ixzz448Ns58YE
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Sydney Grammar bans laptops because ‘scandalous waste of money’
Top Australian private school has banned laptops because computers are ‘scandalous waste of money’ and are distracting students —-
Classroom technology ‘a huge fraud’, only benefits American tech-giants
He wants classrooms to revert to old-school teacher-student relations
By David Jeans For Daily Mail Australia
– – – – – – – – – – – – –
One of Australia’s most prestigious private schools has taken a step back from technology and banned laptops in class because they are ‘distracting’ students.
Sydney Grammar School headmaster John Vallance described the billions of dollars being spent on equipping high school students with laptops as a ‘scandalous waste of money’.
He argued that grades are gradually dropping across the country despite the investment, according to The Australian.
The headmaster has banned all students at the Darlinghurst boys school from bringing laptops to school and said all pupils must submit handwritten assignments until year 10.
The headmaster said the return to old-school teaching was to increase teacher-student relationships as laptops are a distraction in the classroom.
‘(Teaching is) about interaction between people, about discussion, about conversation,’
Dr Vallance said in the report.
‘We find that having laptops or iPads in the classroom inhibit conversation — it’s distracting.
‘If you’re lucky enough to have a good teacher and a motivating group of classmates, it would seem a waste to introduce anything that’s going to be a distraction from the benefits that kind of social context will give you.’
Dr Vallance said multi-billion dollar investment by the federal government to provide laptops to high school students had done nothing but to benefit tech-giants Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Apple.
‘I think when people come to write the history of this period in education … this investment in classroom technology is going to be seen as a huge fraud.’
Dr Vallance said the school studied classes for students in years three and five and found creative writing tasks were more successful with handwritten submissions, rather than using a keyboard.
Dr Vallance said multi-billion dollar investment by the federal government to provide laptops to high school students had done nothing but to benefit tech-giants Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Apple
Sydney Grammar offers access to computers through a lab and students are expected to use laptops at home.
Families are charged $32,644 in annual tuition fees for each student to attend the prestigious Darlinghurst boys school.
Sydney Grammar has an extensive list of famous and powerful alumni including current Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, businessmen David Gonski and Westfield CEO Steve Lowy, late actor Bud Tingwell and poet Banjo Patterson
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3510104/Top-Australian-private-school-banned-laptops-computers-scandalous-waste-money-distracting-students.html#ixzz448OolmYu
Here’s the other article, this one from Florida. This about how Recess, with its social interaction among classmates, is being effectively replaced by computer interaction or instruction on how kids should interact.
This brilliant cutting edge stuff comes from the Boston Consulting Group.
While Florida recently junked Recess, EdWeek comes out with an article on a possible replacement being pushed by the BSG.
Recess v. Online Social-Emotional Learning
Education Week is reporting about technology to be used to teach social-emotional skills. It’s called Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)…
http://nancyebailey.com/2016/03/13/recess-v-online-social-emotional-learning/
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Emotional Learning
March 13, 2016 By Nancy Bailey 4 Comments
Education Week is reporting about technology to be used to teach social-emotional skills. It’s called Social-Emotional Learning–SEL for short.
I find it ironic that at the same time, Florida senators just said no to recess. Are they telling us that computers should be used to teach students how to relate to one another?
Is this the wave of the future? It sounds to me like a futuristic movie with a bad rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Yet the World Economic Forum and the Boston Consulting Group are plugging measurable competencies and character traits they believe important, and the only way they want you to think children will get these skills is online.
Here is the World Economic Forum’s “New Vision for Education: Fostering Social and Emotional Learning Through Technology”.
The Boston Consulting Group can be found here pushing SEL. “How Education Technology Can Help Foster Social and Emotional Skills.”
Technology “can personalize learning, engage the disengaged, complement what happens in the classroom, extend education outside the classroom, and provide access to learning to students,”
…but “the number of [social-emotional learning] products in the ed-tech market today is insufficient.”
That’s right. They want more ed. tech for social-emotional learning.
Most of us argue that technology cannot take over a classroom, or replace a teacher, especially because of the social interactions that take place there.
While online instruction might provide some learning, mostly rote, children need social-emotional relationships. They need to mingle with other students. That’s hard to do when you are sitting alone at a computer.
Even if a child connects with another child (some aren’t real kids) online, it isn’t the same as a real relationship. The best place for young children to socialize is recess!
We all know that watching children play can tell teachers and parents a lot. By observing social interactions that occur during recess, teachers determine when to intervene, and when to let children work out their problems.
Working out issues is an important socialization skill that is lost when children are micro-managed with harsh discipline, or when they are told about good behavior but not given opportunities to demonstrate it.
For what’s really useful—look at the children themselves and how they play.
For example, in his book Recess: Its Role in Education and Development, Anthony Pellegrini describes rough and tumble play (R&T). This kind of interaction might present itself as aggression, but there are nuanced differences important for teachers to identify.
R&T is typically composed of run, chase, flee, wrestle, and open-hand hit. Aggression is typified by closed-hand hits, shoves, pushes, and kicks. Also a quite simple, yet reliable, way in which R&T and aggression differ is in terms of expression of affect. Generally, smiles (or a play face) accompany R&T, whereas frowns, or crying accompany aggression (p. 101).
Children certainly can learn good behavior by hearing teachers or parents tell them what good behavior is, and they especially learn by modeling adult behavior—as most parents can attest.
But unless they have a chance to practice behavior it’s all for naught! Children learn best by doing, not sitting in front of a computer screen!
Managing social interactions through technology, however, looks to be on the horizon. Fifty-five characteristics have been chosen, like encouraging turn-taking, adopting different perspectives through role-playing, and developing “grit” through rankings and leader boards.
Children are to learn to regulate their emotions through online instruction. And if that’s not scary, there’s this:
… futuristic technologies such as wearable devices that track students’ emotional states and physiological reactions to stress, for example, or virtual reality systems that can simulate physical environments and “foster greater self-awareness and spur creativity,” are also important for “expanding the realm of the possible,” the report says.
What parent needs a tracking device to tell them how much stress their child is experiencing?
Does anyone really believe an online presence from 9 to 5 will help a child learn social skills? Most parents want to limit screen time not expand it!
Along with this, in general, serious questions are being raised as to the harmful effects of too much technology on young children.
Children learn best by doing not viewing.