SAT Question of the Day: Never again please.

In the digression before Chapter 8, Carr brings up an interesting point: does using technology for educational purposes foster positive or negative testing results? Carr claims that using technology may be weakening our testing scores (IQ, SAT).  However, many school systems have invested in technology initiatives to provide students with high-tech resources in the classroom. I feel that investing in computing technologies is beneficial for students, and I don’t think it deeply affects testing scores.  I do feel that educators must find better ways to assess and account for students learning in a technology-dependent world to prevent losing focus on core skills in math, writing, and reading. I agree with Carr that technology is not helping reading or test-taking skills; however, I don't feel technology is hurting these skills.

Mobile computing has become self-fulfilling: as the public’s demand for this type of technology continues to grow, we simultaneously become more and more dependent on portable devices.  Technology has integrated itself into everyday life in the United States, thus making it crucial for educators to keep up with growing trends.

 Many advocates of computer-based learning argue that technology can provide much advantage to the learning process.  The traditional use of notebooks has been a sufficient method for keeping track of data for many years, but it is time to focus on the security and accessibility of data. Universities are now factoring in technology costs into the tuition for this reason.

   The implementation of technology in the classrooms may offer a large return on investment for professors and graduate students.  The storage of data is crucial for all studies.  The inability to access data could make students and professors liable for failure to deliver contracted results or material.  Neglecting to properly secure data could end up costing more money than investing in a product that guarantees success.  At the same time, educators and technology companies alike currently lack a sufficient way to appropriately assess and account for student learning in a high-technology classroom.  I feel that the Internet and portable technology are both still young, and the way we use these technologies could be improved with time. I don't agree that Carr has put such a strong emphasis on a connection between falling test scores and using technology.