Each cluster, separated by a padded partition, has its own printer, videodisc player, monitor, and electronic sound-effects board. Students use the equipment to include sound and film clips in their class presentations or compose music to accompany the blues poems they write. But educators here are hard-pressed to say for sure if the investment has paid off. Percentage of students using computers at school , by frequency of use. Their teachers say they are also more motivated and spend more time writing and collaborating on projects.
Educators have no way of knowing.
And in that regard, the school's story is a familiar one. Tens of billions of dollars have been spent to equip the nation's schools with calculators, computers, printers, videodisc equipment, satellite technology, televisions, software, and connections to the Internet. Yet, research on the effectiveness of educational technology offers, at best, mixed results. A teacher might use technology poorly, use it well, or not use it at all, he says. But most of the research has focused on computers.