[LINK] The internet makes poor kids stupider

[Tom Worthington]

ARTHUR,Evan (Dr) wrote:
> David quoted a Register article about the impact of computers on 
> students in North Carolina.  This research has been around for a 
> while ...

What seems to have happened is that a prelimiary report was issued July 
29, 2008 <http://tinyurl.com/69zm97>. I mentioned this report in my talk 
on "Social inclusion and cooperative education with ICT" at University 
of Sydney, in August 2009: 
<http://www.tomw.net.au/technology/it/cooperative_education/>.

Essentially the same report seems to have been reissued this month: 
"Scaling the Digital Divide: Home Computer Technology and Student 
Achievement", Jacob L. Vigdor, Helen F. Ladd, NBER Working Paper No. 
16078, Issued in June 2010 <http://www.nber.org/papers/w16078>:

Abstract: "Does differential access to computer technology at home
compound the educational disparities between rich and poor? Would a
program of government provision of computers to secondary students
reduce these disparities? We use administrative data on North Carolina
public school students to corroborate earlier surveys which document
broad racial and socioeconomic gaps in home computer access and use.
Using within-student variation in home computer access, and across-ZIP
code variation in the timing of the introduction of high-speed internet
service, we also demonstrate that the introduction of home computer
technology is associated with modest but statistically significant and
persistent negative impacts on student math and reading test scores.
Further evidence suggests that providing universal access to home
computers and high-speed internet access would broaden, rather than
narrow, math and reading achievement gaps."

> ... The data sets do not contain information relevant to computer
> penetration in schools, let alone how computers are being used in the
> home or in schools.

As I discussed at USyd, the computer needs to be put to a useful 
educational purpose at home. The Federal government digital education 
revolution is helping with this by providing wider computer access in an 
educational context.

Dr. John Worthington (my brother) did a a longitudinal study of
children's literacy which included the effect of a computer in the
household <http://www.uq.edu.au/news/index.html?article=2690>.

What was was most interesting was the disconnect John found between what 
the teachers did with computers at school and what the children did at 
home, with the home use far more sophisticated and wide ranging than at 
school. Hopefully the federally funded programs to educate teachers in 
computer use are helping correct this. See the ANU seminar: "Perceptions 
of Young Children’s Learning and Computer Use", 12 March 2002: 
<http://www.jweducation.com/ANUmarch2002.ppt>.

Abstract: "The data presented was derived from a longitudinal study
which examined a range of issues linked to early literacy development.
This data included the use by children of technology at home and school,
and parent and teacher perceptions of what was happening.

The results show significant differences in how young children access
technology at home and school and that parents and teachers hold
differing perspectives. Typically teacher knowledge of the computer
related skills of young learners lags behind that of the parents.
Teachers are often unaware of the advanced computer related skills used
by young learners at home.

There were systematic differences between the perceptions of parents and
teachers which suggest teachers views are ‘refreshed’ each year where as
parent perceptions are based on a longer time frame. When there is a
purposeful effort by teachers to understand the use of technologies in
homes links can be made to ensure a commonality between what actually
happens with technology at home and school.

At this point the systematic collection of the outcomes and processes of
learning through digital portfolios can be implemented."


-- 
Tom Worthington FACS CP HLM, TomW Communications Pty Ltd. t: 0419496150
PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia  http://www.tomw.net.au