Joe's Non-Netbook vs. The Internet

Today I was reading Jeff Richardson's blog entry, Textbooks... Are they old-school?, and it touched on a point that has been brought up in several recent conversations.

Should we move away from textbooks?

Jeff posted the following video made by Joe, a student at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, PA, which highlights this issue.



While the video takes an amusing look at textbooks, Joe's Non-Netbook ties into deeper questions about the direction schools should be taking.

Inquiry And Textbooks

No matter how you slice it, a textbook cannot provide the same richness, depth, and perspective as the Internet.  A textbook limits a student, it prevents inquiry and further investigation.  As educators, if we are attempting to develop critical thinkers and challenge our students to ask thoughtful questions, they need to have access to multiple points of view and should be able to investigate on their own.  A textbook cannot provide that, the Internet does.

The Cost Of Textbooks

The argument is presented, but it would cost too much to put a computer in every students hands.  If you compare the cost of bound textbooks over four years (at least one textbook per class) to the cost of a having all texts housed on the Internet through an online course management software (CMS) and a top of the line HP netbook ($499), it's not even close.  You would save hundreds of dollars.

The Environmental And Economic Impact

Whether a school is trying to cut budgets, support efforts for environmental sustainability, or both, it is a good call to invest in online texts.  The amount of paper that is printed can be cut substantially when using online texts and laptops.  If a school invests in high speed scanners and all paper resources are made digital and posted online, a school is able to cut down on not only the amount of paper used but the number of copiers and printers needed on campus.

Conclusion

Joe's video may of taken a satirical look at bound textbooks but it definitely hits a nerve.  When we look at transforming our schools and truly preparing our students we must reconsider what we use to teach.  In a world where our students are constantly connected online and have access to the world, are we really going to turn that off and give them a book with no hyperlinks or alternatives and expect them to really learn?

Bursting the Bubble (Tests)

I read an Op-Ed the other day in the New York Times by professor E. D. Hirsch, Jr.  The article supported the value of the fill in the blank bubble test.  He asserted that while the current format is faulty, there is validity to the data and reliability of the test.  Dr. Hirsch made some valid points including:

the key to comprehension is familiarity with the relevant subject. For a student with a basic ability to decode print, a reading-comprehension test is not chiefly a test of formal techniques but a test of background knowledge.

While this may be the case, and we must assess our students on relevant materials.  That does not mean that bubble testing is the answer to the question of assessment reform.  Bubble tests have been around since 1938 and like the lecture only classroom, is seriously outdated.  In an era in which we know that students learn in many different ways, we must reconsider how we assess our students.

In his article, Beyond the Bubble, Bill Tucker argues that we can assess using the technology that are relevant to our students

Using multiple forms of media that allow for both visual and graphical representations, we can present complex, multi-step problems for students to solve, and we can collect detailed information about an individual student's approach to problem solving. This information may allow educators to better comprehend how students arrive at their answers and learn what those pathways reveal about students' grasp of underlying concepts, as well as to discover how they can alter their instruction to help move students forward.

I find this argument interesting.  I am not saying we should not assess.  I simply believe that with the understanding of differentiated learning styles and multiple intelligences, we must shift our understanding of teaching and assessment and disrupt the current model.  Bubble testing does not effectively represent what and how our students learn.  In the 21st century, our students are learning differently, interacting differently, and we must assess differently.

Assessments are a core part of preparing our students for the global marketplace but in an interactive and connected world, do bubble tests really prepare students for what lies ahead?

In utilizing the concepts of differentiated learning, we can to develop a form of assessment that takes advantage of the available technology and supports the skills the students must master to succeed in today's world. This will take some time and effort but to do justice to our students and their future we must burst the bubble tests.

Photo Credit: Thant Zin Myint