Does AI actually help students learn? A recent experiment in a high school provides a cautionary tale. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that Turkish high school students who had access to Chat GPT while doing practice math problems did worse on a math test compared with students who didn’t have access to Chat GPT. Those with Chat GPT solved 48% more of the practice problems correctly, but they ultimately scored 17% worse on…
If you’re like many digitally savvy Americans, it has likely been a while since you’ve spent much time writing by hand. The laborious process of tracing out our thoughts, letter by letter, on the page is becoming a relic of the past in our screen-dominated world, where text messages and thumb-typed grocery lists have replaced handwritten letters and sticky notes. Electronic keyboards offer obvious efficiency benefits that have undoubtedly boosted our productivity — imagine having…
Even after years of intensive intervention and tutoring, dyslexic students can continue to struggle with reading and writing. That’s why advances in technology tools have been invaluable to students who read and write slowly. Dyslexic students are finding they can complete assignments faster when they employ special features on a laptop or iPad that help work around their dyslexia-related issues. In order to fully maximize how technology tools can help students with learning differences, educator…
When Celeste Gravatt first heard about a data breach in her kids’ school system in February 2023, it sounded innocuous. “I didn’t really think anything of it at first,” Gravatt says. Officials at Minneapolis Public Schools called it a “system incident,” then “technical difficulties,” and finally, “an encryption event.” She says it was only when she checked social media that she realized the true extent of the attack, and what it could mean for her…
We usually think of technology as a progressive thing in education, but any technology dates itself immediately through its form. Electricity, the wheel, paper, the printing press, metalworking, mass transportation, masonry, and more are all forms of technology. Technology isn’t a ‘leading edge’ but a tool of human practice. On a day-to-day basis, human processes are based on prevailing local technology. That is, we usually use what’s available to us to express our collective humanity…
Engaging in technology extracurricular activities offers practical, hands-on experiences that enhance your problem-solving abilities, foster creativity, and provide opportunities for collaboration. These activities go beyond the confines of a classroom and allow you to apply your knowledge in real-world scenarios. By actively participating in extracurriculars, you not only gain technical expertise but also develop critical thinking, communication, and teamwork skills. Here are some ideas for technology extracurricular activities. 1. Computer science clubs and organizations. These…
The United States now has 46 million people age 65 or older. That’s a record number, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. More of these senior citizens are adopting tech, but most also say they need help using new electronic devices such as smart phones. Falling behind on technology puts seniors at risk for social isolation, which makes them vulnerable to poor health and earlier death. It’s also expensive. A study by…
In his university teaching days, Mark Schneider watched as his students’ research sources moved from the library to Wikipedia to Google. With greater access to online information, cheating and plagiarism became easier. So Schneider, who taught at State University of New York, Stony Brook for 30 years, crafted essay prompts in ways that he hoped would deter copy-paste responses. Even then, he once received a student essay with a bill from a paper-writing company stapled…
The statistics are sobering. In the past year, nearly 1 in 3 female teens reports seriously considering suicide. One in 5 teens identifying as LGBTQ+ say they attempted suicide in that time. Between 2009 and 2019, depression rates doubled for all teens. And that was before the COVID-19 pandemic. The question is: Why now? “Our brains, our bodies, and our society have been evolving together to shape human development for millennia… Within the last twenty years, the advent…
Just as all students are different, so are all instructors. We need to ensure we are implementing instructional technology tools that fit our teaching style, availability, and technology skill level. If any instructor wishes to incorporate a new technology tool, it is vital we first assess the tool’s “goodness of fit” for both student population and course content. An instructional technology tool with a “goodness of fit” for a particular course and student group demonstrates…
