Lightning in a Bottle

A new research study has been released that indicates there is no positive correlation between computer use and student achievement. As reported in the online version of the London Telegraph, the report analyzed data on 100,000 students from 31 countries and found that once other variables had been accounted for, there was no difference in student success on international tests between students with high levels of technology access and those who had little or none. Worse still, access to computers at home correlated with lower success.

Frankly, this makes a lot of sense. It’s what the students are taught and how they are taught that will have an impact far beyond any variable in the environment. A good teacher will get good results regardless of whether or not the students can get to a computer. A poor teacher’s performance will be further hindered by the distractions created by improperly used technology.

The Sharp computer company has developed a technology to display 3-D images without the use of glasses on a special LCD screen. First available as a stand-alone screen for $1,500 (yikes), Sharp is now releasing their first laptops sporting this cool technology. You can read details in this press release. It’s still pretty pricey at $3,500 or so, but I can sure see a lot of cool uses in chemistry classes modeling molecular interactions.

Yahoo! has an article about the increasing use of distance education in schools. About one-third of all districts have students using online courses. The report includes videoconference-based classes as “online”, so it includes both synchronous and asynchronous learning options. The main reason sited were to help students access resources the local school couldn’t provide.