"Yet schools are stuck using 19th-century technology, such as books, black-boards, paper, and pencils. Computers are not at the core of schools. They are used mainly for special courses in schools,..." (page 9)
I think that books, paper, and pencils all still have a place in schools still, but there needs to be more assignments that try to incorporate technology into the classroom. The students today are doing everything while they are connected to some form of technology, that is where their focus is. That is why it is hard for some students to come to school and be asked to disconnect for 6-7 hours and try to focus on lots of different textbooks and work sheets. Students need some sort of technology in front of them to help keep them engaged. Smart boards can help with this as there are many different things that can be done with them from taking attendance and lunch count at the beginning of class to having students taking turns interacting with the smart board during the lesson. Teachers need to remember that many of their students are addicted to technology and the more they can incorporate technology into their classroom during the day the more their students will pay attention to the lesson.
"Once technologies become commonplace in schools, teachers can build on interventions like the IEP to bring customized learning to more students." (page 17)
Would it really be possible for each student to have their own version of an IEP? I can't imagine having a class of 22 students and being asked to make an IEP for every single one of them. I just don't think its possible. Basically the authors of the book are suggesting that every student has an IEP that would start when they end school and end once they graduate high school. I would envision it to work like homeschooling where the student completes everything they are required to but focuses on the subject or subjects that they like. I just don't think that its possible to do that for an entire school of any size. I think that things are fine how they are being run and students that need IEPs receive them, while others learn in the classroom like everyone else. Perhaps I could be wrong and bringing customize learning to more students would be a good idea.
"Technology enthusiasts believe that when learners are given immediate feedback on their actions they are much more likely to learn what to do correctly." (page 19)
I agree and disagree with this quote. The part that I disagree with is the immediate feedback that students receive when spelling words on the computer. Students usually know right away whether or not a word is spelled wrong because it will have a red zig-zag line under it. Once students see that line they click on the word to spell it correctly and continue writing or they just leave it and do spell check at the end. If students are doing spell check at the end of the assignment they are most likely ready to be done and quickly speed through the spell check without making a mental note of how to spell the word correctly. However I do agree that students learn from other immediate feedback they receive such as typing a word into an online dictionary and finding out what it means. I also think that students learn when they get immediate feedback from online educational games. Look at it from the students point of view, is it important I lean how to spell a word or is it more important to get the assignment done so that I can play video games.
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