Journal 2

The Laptops Are Coming! The Laptops Are Coming!

McFarlane, S (2008). The Laptops Are Coming! The Laptops Are Coming!. Retrieved July 29, 2008, from http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/22_04/lapt224.shtml

In this article, teacher Sarah Heller McFarlaine explains the frustration and difficulties she experienced after her school obtained monies to buy laptops for every student in the school. It would seem that this situation would be great for students; to have access to an infinite amount of information, to have a level playing field in the sense that there would be no student that without a computer, and all the other benefits that having a computer would yield.
However, McFarlaine reveals that there hidden dangers in having such a resource for the students. McFarlaine complains that an inappropriate amount of time is spent in preparing for teaching students by utilizing the computers. She also has many more complaints, including: too much time spent in front of the computer, too much time policing students to make sure that they were using the computer appropriately, making sure that the students were actually internalizing the information they were finding on the internet, students being exposed to advertising while surfing the web, and students who felt bad about their own technical ineptitudes.

1. Is there any hope for computers in the classroom, or are McFarlaine’s complaints enough to convince on to give up on the program? Of course there is hope. Just like any other process in education that has promise, yet runs into problems along its development are worth continuing. Although McFarlaine’s argument is strong and convincing, the potential benefits of such a program to a vast amount of students are worth the initial difficulties.
2. What are some ways to combat the negative aspects that McFarlaine discusses? There are many ways to combat these problems. For example, a teacher could have the students take breaks from computer time to get period of exercise, students who are proficient with technology could help students who are not as savvy. These are only a few ideas, and I know that not all of the problems have such easy fixes, but these are a step in the right direction towards success of the computer program.