OECD report on computers in schools

There I was just doing some light reading and I stumbled across a press release by the OECD saying that computers in schools do not translate to smarter school kids.

Don’t believe me?

Here, read it yourself from the OECD website or further down the this page 🙂

Now, look, it takes an OECD study to tell us that giving someone a computer will NOT suddenly make that person smarter? Hm….

This is like saying that you giving someone an ikan parang will not mean that person can make good fishballs. No kidding!!!

Here’s a dumb idea – how about teaching those kids to use those computers?

Sheeesh!!! It all starts at home. When my kids were little, I made sure that they were all familiar with the 8086 instruction set before they could walk!!! OK OK OK.. that’s not true 🙂

It does take lots and lots of effort on the part of parents, of teachers and of government to ensure that children get the very best of education.

Computers are just a tool – no different from that set of compass or dividers or paint brushes or pencil or …. you get the idea.

Governments set policies and programs, teachers uphold those policies and implement the programs, parents encourage and ensure that the schoolchild stays on the straight and narrow.

Some parents are just not capable of providing the parental support a child needs due to their economic circumstance or their educational level or whatever. This is where the teacher and the government comes in with, hopefully, a safety net to identify and catch the children who would otherwise fall thru the cracks.

I am neither a politician nor a teacher but I know they need to do something.

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http://www.oecd.org/education/new-approach-needed-to-deliver-on-technologys-potential-in-schools.htm

 

New approach needed to deliver on technology’s potential in schools

15/09/2015 – Schools have yet to take advantage of the potential of technology in the classroom to tackle the digital divide and give every student the skills they need in today’s connected world, according to the first OECD PISA assessment of digital skills.

“Students, Computers and Learning: Making The Connection” says that even countries which have invested heavily in information and communication technologies (ICT) for education have seen no noticeable improvement in their performances in PISA results for reading, mathematics or science.

Ensuring that every child reaches a baseline level of proficiency in reading and mathematics will do more to create equal opportunities in a digital world than solely expanding or subsidising access to high-tech devices and services, says the OECD.

In 2012, 96% of 15-year-old students in OECD countries reported having a computer at home, but only 72% reported using one at school. Overall, students who use computers moderately at school tend to have somewhat better learning outcomes than students who use computers rarely. But students who use computers very frequently at school do much worse, even after accounting for social background and student demographics.

“School systems need to find more effective ways to integrate | technology into teaching and learning  to provide educators with learning environments that support 21st century pedagogies and provide children with the 21st century skills they need to succeed in tomorrow’s world,” said Andreas Schleicher, OECD Director for Education and Skills. “Technology is the only way to dramatically expand access to knowledge. To deliver on the promises technology holds, countries need to invest more effectively and ensure that teachers are at the forefront of designing and implementing this change.”

The report found that the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students in digital reading was very similar to the differences in performance in the traditional PISA reading test, despite the vast majority of students using computers whatever their background. This suggests that to reduce inequalities in digital skills, countries need to improve equity in education first.

To assess their digital skills, the test required students in 31 countries and economies* to use a keyboard and mouse to navigate texts by using tools like hyperlinks, browser button or scrolling, in order to access information, as well as make a chart from data or use on-screen calculators.

Top performers were Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong-China, Japan, Canada and Shanghai-China. This reflects closely their performances in the 2012 print-reading test, suggesting that many of the skills essential for online navigation can also be taught and learned using standard, analogue reading techniques.

But the report reveals striking differences. Students in Korea and Singapore perform significantly better online than students in other countries with similar performance in print reading, as do students in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong-China, Japan and the United States. In contrast, students in Poland and Shanghai-China – both strong performers in print reading – do less well transferring their print-reading skills to an online environment.

* Participating countries and economies: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Chinese-Taipei, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Hong Kong-China, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Macao-China, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Russian Federation, Shanghai-China, Singapore, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates and the United States.

More information on the assessment and findings of this report is also available at: http://www.oecd.org/education/students-computers-and-learning-9789264239555-en.htm.

 

1 comment for “OECD report on computers in schools

  1. Mercy
    September 16, 2015 at 11:24 pm

    Good findings. Most of the computers in the computer lab is old, slow or not functioned. The teachers usually bring the good class to the computer lab. No teacher dare to bring the naughty boys or girls into the computer lab, however, they are the groups who like to join cyber cafe.Some parents do not buy computer because afraid that their children will be addicted to the computer games. Parents, teachers can not help the young generation unless they can prove that they have self-discipline.Some parents said that they will buy the computer when the children prepare to enter university. So, the guys play hp or use hp for digital reading and don’t know how to cope with computer.

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