adambohannon

In my relatively short time in the consulting world, I’ve unfortunately already encountered the stalwart of entrenched, outmoded school policy that effectively undermines attempts by teachers, however well-intentioned, to pursue a pedagogy centered on increasing media literacy.  Far from being a tech evangelist, I do think thoughtful uses of technology (esp. in the classroom) can enrich learning and ultimately promote informed and responsible citizenship.  It’s a disappointment our institutions seem to always be lagging behind.

I came across this recent meta-analysis by SRI International that compiles information from more than a thousand studies of online learning (mostly focusing on older students), effectively making a case for reconsidering how we incorporate new tech into our educational system.  Here are some key conclusions from the executive summary:

• Students who took all or part of their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction.
• Instruction combining online and face-to-face elements had a larger advantage relative to purely face-to-face instruction than did purely online instruction.
• Studies in which learners in the online condition spent more time on task than students in the face-to-face condition found a greater benefit for online learning.
• Most of the variations in the way in which different studies implemented online learning did not affect student learning outcomes significantly.
  
• The effectiveness of online learning approaches appears quite broad across different content and learner types.
• Effect sizes were larger for studies in which the online and face-to-face conditions varied in terms of curriculum materials and aspects of instructional approach in addition to the medium of instruction.
  

Perhaps it comes as no surprise that blended learning seems to offer the largest advantage.  With this in mind, can we begin to rehash our school information policies so our students and teachers can take advantage of new technologies?

In a future post I’d like to discuss how this might reduce or increase the cost of education and how we can extend the use of new technologies in education to as many students as possible.

via Yes, the Internet Can Make You (and Your Kids) Smarter – The Atlantic Business Channel.

Tagged: education, learning, media literacy, research, technology