Reply to Only 57% of MCPS students proficient in reading, 36% proficient in math

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The problem is tech in schools and particularly laptops in elementary schools (or worse, IPads). This is for several reasons. First, in order to learn to read, children need to write by hand. Laptops and Ipads do not have the same impact on the brain. Second, when you read online, your eye travels up and down. When you read on paper, it travels left to right. That is why you retain much less information when you read something online. Third, many people find it helpful to underline words and otherwise interact with the text - this is not possible (highlighting isn't the same) on a laptop. Finally, tech is inherently distracting - for the teacher, it takes up a lot of time, making sure kids can sign in, making sure the devices are charged, making sure children are on task and not playing games. For children, they are distracting because there are a lot of other things you can do besides being on task - and if one child is playing a game, all the children around him are watching.

For math, information is not retained online as easily. If you have never taken statistics, try learning it through Khan Academy. It will not stick the way it would if you had a textbook and/or workbook.

These results are self-inflicted and will not improve until we get tech out of schools. (How much of what I just wrote did you absorb on the first reading? Probably not all - and imagine being a student trying to learn.)[/quote]

You do not have to be writing by hand in order to learn to read.  The foundational skills of learning to read are mostly memorization and auditory based. Being able write enhances the ability and creates different neural pathways which increases the memorization. But a person could learn to read without writing.

However, learning to write well does require learning to read and spell.

And tech in and of itself self in schools is not the problem. It’s how tech is used.  In fact tech can be a good way to help reinforce skills or engage student differently. As for math, many have the ability to write using Desmos or the like.

With regards to reading print vs digital, no reputable study I read has indicated the problem is left to right reading vs downward. The additional comprehension or lack is usually attributed to distraction or tactile interaction differences.
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