The great promise of high-tech learning too often seems unfulfilled and growing numbers of taxpayers that have footed the bill to wire schools are asking where the payoff is. But things aren't as gloomy as they look. Amid all the dissatisfaction and rancor, educators have picked up some concrete lessons about high tech. But it's a long road between having machines and seeing results. For starters, we offer 10 hard lessons from the educators in the trenches.
Computer labs are a lousy location for computers.
Most schools start out in computing with a single room where kids pile in once a week or so to try their hands at the keyboards. Often, it's a waste of time. The lab concept was to introduce kids to computers. We've come to understand that you don't want to introduce kids to computers. You want them to use computers.