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January 18, 2008, 12:20 PM ET
The Myth of the Techno-Wizard Freshman
There is no shortage of reports on the knowledge deficits of entering students, such as NAEP history and civics scores for 12th Graders.
Against the tide of criticism, however, runs a consistent strain of praise for a supposed mental strength: the digital savvy of the kids. Here, for instance, the president of the MacArthur Foundation wonders whether this generation’s digital know-how is changing the very nature of learning. “Might it be that, for many,” he waxes, “the richest environment for learning is no longer in the classroom, it is outside the classroom — online and after school?”
It pays to look at some sound evidence, though, and put these rosy speculations to the test. One such examination came out a year ago, conducted by Educational Testing Service. The report is here, and the Chronicle write-up is here. The study had 6,300 students take a 75-minute test that asked them to complete 15 Web-based research tasks, the kind of things they have to do in college courses, such as determing bias in Web sites and finding relevant Web pages.
The report concluded: “Few test takers demonstrated key ICT literacy skills” (ICT is short for Information and Communications Technology). Only 35 percent of the subjects could narrow an overly broad search properly, and only 40 percent of them chose the right terms to tailor a search effectively. In constructing a slide presentation, only 12 percent of them stuck to relevant information.
The report is part of a body of discouraging findings and outcomes regarding the academic benefits of technology. Unfortunately, those reports are pretty much swamped by the flood of enthusiasm (and money) pouring over newly-wired classrooms and campuses. Given the enormous cost of technology, we should pay more attention to actual results and give less credence to airy predictions.
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