I’ve noticed this year that the weather people tend to sensationalize the weather just as the news reporters do with the news. They predict horrible storms and we get a few inches. They warn about possible ice conditions that could making driving extremely difficult and then we get a very thin layer of ice that melts away in a few hours.
I wonder how much we sensationalize the effects of technology. My class is doing so much better due to ……
Some questions we might want to ask ourselves:
Do we assess how much the students are learning with the “new” technology through an assessment instrument? Is that assessment instrument similar to one we normally use in class? Similar to one used on our school final or a state assessment?
Are we noticing the students’ excitement and motivation and misinterpreting those as their learning?
Has the “new” technology allowed our students to probe more in-depth than without the technology? What evidence do we have?
Does more student talk or even student talk with others in distinct locations give students a more comprehensive learning about the goal? What measurable evidence do we have?
Have we restructured how our students do learning activities in the classroom? Is that restructuring the real cause of the student learning and the technology is just the context of the learning?
Has the “new” technology allowed our students to make more mental connections among their learning? How do you measure those connections by using concept maps or other assessment tools?
Education with Technology Harry G. Tuttle 
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