Education Week

Silver Bullets Beware!

Technology in education should be about increasing, and sometimes releasing, people’s capacities to pass along knowledge and to enable learning.

This blog, launching today, is about how those processes interrelate, and how they are tied to other key issues in K-12 education.

Digital Education Today will explore its subject by flagging and commenting on current news and issues of technology and policy, and by telling stories from the places where teaching and learning occur. It will aim regularly to test the notion—which never seems to die—that the latest innovation will be a silver bullet that erases problems without further human effort or expense.

That result almost never happens, I observed in 12 years as a reporter and assistant editor at Education Week newspaper, ending in January. That stint also included writing for its sister magazine, Digital Directions, and for all 12 of the annual “Technology Counts” reports, which since 1996 have shed light on developments in classroom tools, assessment, STEM education, online learning, international programs, and other areas.

In those years, and years before that as a writer for other education magazines, I talked to hundreds of students, teachers, administrators, policy makers, and industry experts about the links between technology and education.

I hope to continue those conversations, while working as a freelance writer, and to pass along what I learn that you may find valuable. I also invite you to share your discoveries, concerns, and news tips on technology and education—by posting comments here or by e-mailing me directly at atrotter@digitaleducationtoday.com.

Thanks.

© 2009 Digital Education Today.