Bridging the Tech-Education Gap

While educators still debate how computers and the Internet should be used in the classroom, many parents and kids
believe that technology can help provide a better education, according to recent studies.

By Katie Dean – Wired.com

"I would say that with the public, particularly parents, there is possibly the strongest recognition that technology is
going to be a very powerful tool," said Peter Grunwald, president of Grunwald Associates.

The consulting firm has conducted a series of surveys about
technology use at home and at school since the 1990s.

"Across all income levels there’s a whole lot of faith and hope that
technology is going to help parents achieve their aspirations for their kids," he said.

Emma Barron, a parent of two children in Watsonville, California, said, "It’s very important for (kids) to have access.
There’s so much information that you can access from a computer. You can search on any topic."

Barron, who works as an instructional assistant for migrant students at an elementary school, said that many parents
"feel that’s where the future is going –- in technology."

Grunwald said that in the early 1990s, parents reported buying computers in order to work at home. Around 1995,
parents reported purchasing computers to help their kids learn.

In addition, "their interest has driven a fair amount of technology activity in the schools," Grunwald said.

Dave Pickens, an engineer and parent of three children, got the school website up and running and donated a server
to the school himself.

"I’m surprised that more school systems don’t ask for more support from the parents," he said. "Very rarely have I seen
a call for help from schools that we need somebody to help on Saturday to clean computer hard drives or re-format
systems."

He agreed that "in a lot of cases, parents do pressure schools toward technology because they see it as a good thing.
Some parents look at the student-to-computer ratio and not necessarily what the school is doing with them."

"That’s a generalization that a lot of parents do make," he said. "It’s a balance. Schools do have a need for the
technology, but it’s also how well they integrate it into the curriculum."

And just because a parent sees computers in the classroom doesn’t mean their kid is getting a good education, said
one educator.

"The computer can be as much a distraction as it is an asset," said Jane Healy, author of Failure to Connect: How
Computers Affect Our Children’s Minds, for Better and Worse. "It takes a lot more than computers to make a good
classroom. Parents, unfortunately, still don’t have the message."

"It remains absurd to be tossing computers into classrooms that are physically falling apart or overcrowded," she said.
"Computers still haven’t reached the point where they can substitute for things like well-trained teachers, good
curriculum, emphasis on the arts and appropriate class sizes."

Healy said she’s confident that useful applications will be developed for schools, but it will take time.

Kids themselves say that using the Internet gets them excited about learning.

A recent survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that more than 78 percent of students aged 12 to
17 go online.

Students "want to be assigned more –- and more engaging -– Internet activities that are relevant to their lives,"
according to The Digital Disconnect: The Widening Gap Between Internet-Savvy Students and Their Schools. "Many
students assert that this would significantly improve their attitude toward school and learning."

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