Computers and White Boards  

or Books and Paper?

Upon entering your child's kindergarten or high school classroom, you probably noticed a big change in the last few years: gone are the blackboards and chalk and in their place are interactive Smart Boards and laptops. In this technology-equipped classroom, students might be bent over laptops searching the Internet, or watching as a teacher highlights notes and plays an historic YouTube clip on a Smart Board. A few strokes of the laptop's keypad eliminate the need to go to the library and open up an encyclopedia. From assignments to class notes, everything is online. 

So, you might ask, does this embrace of technology help or hinder my child? Therein lies one of the most significant current educational debates. While some educators believe the use of interactive, computer-based technology is crucial to improving classroom learning, others feel that technology is merely a tool that has minimal impact on the quality of learning. It is also a challenge to cash-strapped school districts that are trying to invest in technology during a time of budget cuts and teacher layoffs.

Advocates for incorporating computers into the classroom point to the increased ability of teachers to use technology to individualize instruction and adapt to students' unique learning styles and speeds. Classroom technology also affords teachers the opportunity to teach skills that are needed in today's economy and allows them to capture the attention of a generation that has grown up with digital devices. Computers can expand the breadth and depth of curriculum using some of the many available applications, from History and Geography to English and Math.

On the other side of the debate, critics counter that there is no proof that technology is a boon to teachers and students. They point to school districts that have invested in digital devices only to see standardized test scores stagnate. A recent article in the New York Times (September 3, 2011) underscored this very dilemma. The Kyrene School District in Chandler, AZ, has invested about $33 million in technological tools for the classroom since 2005. In those six years, test scores in reading and math have plateaued. In response, some say that standardized tests, the most widely used measure of student performance, don't capture the breadth of skills that computers can help develop, but there is very little concrete proof that this approach improves learning. Opponents worry that PowerPoint and multimedia tools are emphasized at the expense of reading, writing, and math fundamentals, and they argue that spending more on technology means more cuts in academic subjects, as well as in music and arts education.

Educators would like to see comprehensive long-term trials that clearly demonstrate technology's effect. However such trials are extremely difficult to do in the face of widely varying schools and classrooms. Smaller studies have produced conflicting results. While some classroom studies have demonstrated that math scores rise among students using instructional software, others show that scores fall.

Bryan Goodwin, the spokesman for Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, a nonpartisan group, offered one explanation for the apparent dichotomy: "Rather than being a cure-all or silver bullet, one-to-one laptop programs may simply amplify what's already occurring--for better or worse....good teachers can make good use of computers, while bad teachers won't." And that is when students could wind up becoming distracted by the technology and checking Facebook instead of completing the intended assignment.

What can we as parents, educators, and students take away from this debate? It seems that whatever one's position on the issue, students benefit when there is the right combination of hardware, software, and teacher training. A good example of this combination is a teacher who gives a student the choice of using pen and paper to express an idea, rather than requiring this be done on a computer. Then allowing the student to use presentation software to share his idea with the class. It is essential that educators carefully consider which tools assist in the learning process and find ways to thoughtfully incorporate them into instruction in such a way that there is value-added. So on back-to-school night, in addition to being wowed by the in-classroom technology, make sure to ask how those shiny new laptops are being used.

SAT and ACT Proctored Exam  

Schedule for October, 2011

Whether your child is a first-grader or high school senior, it is important for parents to follow a few healthy tips for keeping packed lunches fresh and foodborne illness-free.

There are no hard statistics on how often schoolchildren are sickened by lunches brought from home, but since children are vulnerable to severe consequences of E. Coli and Salmonella, it makes sense to take care with the lunches they take to school.

1. Insulated lunch boxes: keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot. When lunches sit in warm classrooms for hours, it is an ideal condition for bacterial growth on food. Use ice packs for cold perishables and an insulated thermos for hot foods.
2. Sandwich fillers such as peanut or almond butter can tolerate room temperatures without spoiling.
3. Pantry-safe foods, such as tuna in a flip-top can, store well.
4. Boxed juice or water bottles can be frozen ahead of time and used as cold packs.
5. Sandwiches made with hummus, tuna, or egg salad can be made the night before and frozen; they will defrost by lunch time.
6. Dried fruits and whole fruits such as bananas, apples, and oranges are safe at room temperature, but need to be washed before being packed in the lunch box.
7. Food Preparation: perishable foods should stay refrigerated as long as possible; wash hands before food preparation; counters and cutting boards should be cleansed thoroughly.
8. Finally, hands should always be washed prior to eating!