Other teachers said technology was as much a solution as a problem. Dave Mendell, 44, a fourth-grade teacher in Wallingford, Pa., said that educational video games and digital presentations were excellent ways to engage students on their terms. Teachers also said they were using more dynamic and flexible teaching styles.

“What we’re labeling as ‘distraction,’ some see as a failure of adults to see how these kids process information,” Ms. Purcell said. “They’re not saying distraction is good but that the label of ‘distraction’ is a judgment of this generation.”ADVERTISEMENT Continue reading the main story The surveys also found that many teachers said technology could be a useful educational tool. In the Pew survey, which was done in conjunction with the College Board and the National Writing Project, roughly 75 percent of 2,462 teachers surveyed said that the Internet and search engines had a “mostly positive” impact on student research skills. And they said such tools had made students more self-sufficient researchers.

Scholars who study the role of media in society say no long-term studies have been done that adequately show how and if student attention span has changed because of the use of digital technology. But there is mounting indirect evidence that constant use of technology can affect behavior, particularly in developing brains, because of heavy stimulation and rapid shifts in attention.

Changes To Teaching: Jobs such as factory workers, farm workers, bank tellers, telephone operators and cashiers have all been significantly reduced in number or completely eliminated by technology. Some wonder if teaching could be the next profession eliminated by technology. Many disagree, but there is little doubt that teaching with technology requires different skills than “traditional teaching”. Research shows that experienced teachers are better at teaching with technology than new teachers because they have better developed classroom management skills. Perhaps requiring all teachers, no matter their strengths, to use EdTech isn’t a path to success?

Privacy and Security: We are on the brink of a serious crisis in student data and privacy. I’m certain the problems highlighted with common classrooms tools Class Dojo and Edmodo are just the tip of the iceberg. There are increasing examples of student data leaks and it’s just a matter of time before a major EdTech company loses student data, in spite of promises about security and privacy (Snapchat anyone?). Author Viktor Mayer-Schoenberger says “Everything in a student’s past will be captured, collected, stored and therefore remembered”. We need to consider who is that data safe with and what will the impact of wide scale data collection be on learning, and more importantly, free speech.

Economically disadvantaged children face tremendous challenges in accessing technology.

Low-income children lack consistent access to high quality technology when compared to their middle-income peers. This 'digital divide' among the classes remains persistent despite the increased availability of lower priced devices and a tremendous jump in school spending on technology. The gap occurs mostly in student access outside of school, where middle-class students have computers and easy Internet access in their homes. Low-income children more often must rely on public resources such as libraries or after-school programs. But these resources can be unreliable—restrictive timeframes, high demand, and funding problems all add up to erratic availability of technology in these settings. The guidance of a parent or other adult is far different from home use as well, where time is less constrained and the atmosphere more relaxed. Over time, limitations in technology resources add up, further widening the achievement gap between the haves and have nots.

This suggested question was my favorite: "May I opt my child out of screen-based instructional activities?"

Citing much research, they concluded, "the new digital world is a toxic environment for the developing minds of young people. Rather than making digital natives superlearners, it has stunted their mental growth."

They know what too much screen time can do. A student dozed in class because he woke up at 2 a.m., when his parents were asleep, to play video games. A study showed teens spending an average ofnine hours a day on entertainment media. Clement and Miles estimated, based on several studies, that about 75 percent of high school students walk the halls with cellphones in their hands rather than in pockets or purses.

Last week, I discussed their recommendation that teachers reject most of ed-tech and instead teach simply and directly to encourage understanding and thought. They want to improve student skills and human interaction, not show them how to look up stuff on Google.

One of the biggest mistakes schools make when deploying or allowing new devices onto their campus and into their classrooms, is by not making sure their network infrastructure is up-to-date and/or sufficient enough to properly support their end-users.

Integrating technology into the classroom is an effective way to connect with students of all learning styles.

Teachers, meanwhile, fretted that the scheme's roll-out would mean job losses. Angus MacLennan, e-Sgoil's head, says such fears are unfounded, since the scheme provides teleteachers only where it has proved impossible to recruit a permanent one

Schools across Britain struggle to recruit teachers, but the problem is especially acute in remote parts, and there are few places so remote as the Scottish islands. Founded in 2015 by the local council representing the Outer Hebrides, e-Sgoil (which means "e-School" in Gaelic) attempts to get round this problem by beaming teachers into classrooms via internet video link. Teleteaching allows tiny, distant schools to broaden the choice of subjects on their curriculums while reducing bills for the flights, ferries and hotels of itinerant supply teachers.

Educational technology developers and manufacturers have created software, hardware, and curriculums to improve services for students with learning and physical disabilities. Such developments are generally referred to as Assistive Technology (AT). Text-to-speech (TTS) software allows students with vision difficulties to listen to a text rather than read it. TTS readers can also benefit students whose learning disabilities give them difficulty with reading, such as students with dyslexia.

Critics of online learning argue that the students receive neither the personalized learning experience nor the socialization benefits of attending a school in person. Further criticisms have been leveled against the online for-profit universities for engaging in questionable business practices, including misleading applicants about the quality of the education they provide. Proponents contend that online learning provides opportunities to students who otherwise would face obstacles in continuing their education.

Since the introduction of the personal computer in the late 1970s, computers have become increasingly present in classrooms. In 2016 US public schools provided one computer for every five students, according to Education Week. Some schools issue personal laptop computers and portable electronic devices to students and teachers, though most schools cannot afford to do this.

Education professionals argue that the use of computers and other technologies increases the amount of information students will retain from a lesson because the student is more likely to be engaged in participatory learning than passive learning.

They warn that technology must be applied thoughtfully to maximize its benefits and minimize its potential for disruption and distraction. Social justice activists have also voiced concern that technology can widen the education gap between the rich and poor by creating a digital divide that provides a head start to students from affluent communities who experience greater access and receive better training with regard to technology than students without those opportunities.

Personal computing allows students to engage with learning material in ways distinct from those available to previous generations. Learning tools, online resources, and assistive technologies have the potential to stoke creativity, increase retention, and reduce unnecessary obstacles to learning.

The increase of social media and the Internet, they believe, has reduced face-to-face interactions. This in itself isn’t necessarily bad, except for the fact that these online relationships are easier to ignore whenever it’s convenient.

Being brought up on a steady diet of violent TV and video games, says Konrath, may deaden our feelings for others, probably in the same way our apathetic attitude toward friends carries over from the Internet.

According to a comprehensive study from the University of Michigan, we care about others 40 percent less than people in the 1980s did, with the biggest drop-off in empathy occurring after the year 2000. Reasons for this drop in empathy is anyone’s guess, but the increase in media (both social and mainstream) and violent video games have been trotted out as the likely suspects.

Just as Wayne Sutton and Corvida started their interview this afternoon, the chat area was bombarded with a flurry of racial slurs, bigotry, and malicious prejudice. I’ve been through this before in many past years of chat rooms, discussions boards, and such.  Unfortunately, each time, I think it just desensitizes you a little bit.  One positive: everyone else now has the opportunity to see that racism isn’t a myth; it isn’t just something that ended with slavery; and the neither the blogosphere nor the web are exceptions.