Are Computers In The Classroom Really Working?

** FILE ** An IBM ThinkPad computer, left, is shown next to a stack of text books that is issued to the typical fifth-grade at Johnson Elementary School, in Forney, Texas, in this , April 28, 2004, file photo. International Business Machines Corp. has reportedly put its personal computer business up for sale in a deal that could fetch as much as $2 billion and close an era for an industry pioneer that long ago shifted its focus to more lucrative segments of the computer business. (AP Photo/stf/Donna McWilliam) (AP)

We’ve come a long way since the days of blackboards, mimeographed sheets and dog-eared textbooks. Many schools across the nation have wireless access and teachers and students use computers on a regular basis for learning, doing schoolwork and doing drills. But for all this new technology in the classroom, students and educators are still not using it to its full advantage.

A recent study conducted by the Center for American Progress has shed light on the fact that in many states, students use computers for drills and practice instead of for more intellectually engaging tasks. The study’s author, Ulrich Boser, a Senior Fellow at the Center, said: “Our findings suggest that many schools have yet to take full advantage of technology’s ability to improve the art of teaching and the process of learning.”

Read more at Mamiverse.