Free Computers Don’t Close the Gap
A recent study, where children in California were given free computers in an effort to improve their performance in school, had some unfortunate mixed outcomes. Students became more familiar with the internet and information offered on line, but they also became more familiar with social media and unwanted video games. Children were spending as much time on games and social media sites as they were on their school work. Researchers also found that parents weren’t always diligent about encouraging college. It turns out that tech jobs were not seen as part of a poor kids future.
The results are not surprising that family and the environment are strong predictors of the outcome of a child’s success. This is common knowledge among psychologist who study child development. However, I would wager that the researchers of the study may have been aiming too high and were looking for huge outcome. Maybe they should have been looking at individual outcomes. The impact of a computer varies and effects each person differently. If one or two families benefited, then that outcome could have implications for generations to come.
As a teacher, I would invite parents into the classroom for a discussion about the new laptops to be distributed. I would also provide strategies they could use when monitoring their child’s activity on the laptops. This would include providing them with appropriate ways of blocking the usage when they don’t want their child on-line. I would also provide scheduled updates on materials their children are studying in school that would require the use of a laptop and on-line activities.
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