Parents had reasons to be alarmed about school technology. They had been warned that these abuses could influence their children's academic progress, motivation, communication, creativity, critical thinking, job preparedness, and even their safety at school. They had been told that it was linked to controversial instruction, faulty testing, inadequate textbooks, and invasive spyware. Upset by these claims, the parents had numerous questions. This book identifies their questions, the groups to which they directed them, the answers they elicited, and the educational changes they prompted.
Gerard Giordano is professor at the University of North Florida and has written more than a dozen books about education. He has published a recent series, with Rowman & Littlefield Education, about the questions parents have raised about their children's schools.
Preface: Who Has the Right Idea about School Tech?AcknowledgementChapter 1: Do Computer Experts Have the Right Idea about School Tech? Chapter 2: Do Angelinos Have the Right Idea about School Tech? Chapter 3: Do Detroiters Have the Right Idea about School Tech? Chapter 4: Do Miamians Have the Right Idea about School Tech? Chapter 5: Do Philadelphians Have the Right Idea about School Tech? Chapter 6: Do Tampa's Parents Have the Right Idea about School Tech? Chapter 7: Do Parents in Roselle IL Have the Right Idea about School Tech? Chapter 8: Do Silicon Valley's Parents Have the Right Idea about School Tech? Chapter 9: Do New York City's Parents Have the Right Idea about School Tech? Chapter 10: Do Salt Lakers Have the Right Idea about School Tech? Chapter 11: Do San Antonians Have the Right Idea about School Tech? Chapter 12: Do Seattle's Parents Have the Right Idea about School Tech? References About the Authors
This book will help answer questions regarding content filters, spyware, hacking, social media, internet safety, and other controversial topics. Very few parent-focused materials are available to address these concerns. This book, and the series of which it is part, will be readily available to parents in their own communities. -- Melissa Cal, EdD, educational specialist, Florida Learning Diagnostic Resources System; parent This book is timely and extremely important. All stakeholders in PK-12 education will find this book a valuable resource, especially parents who are looking for answers in regard to all the claims about expensive educational technology such as digital classroom resources. The book will be useful as well to administrators and policymakers who are looking for content-rich resources while at the same time making very hard choices in regard to allocations and priorities. The potential for this book is immense. -- L. Michelle Johnson, Washington College This book takes honest and independent look at the use of new technologies in the classroom. Case studies in different localities throughout America offer parents, teachers, and policymakers some much-needed and long-overdue analysis. Giordano's expertise, combined with his realistic view of all the claims and the counter-claims that are rife when it comes to this subject, make this a must-read book for Americans who care about our kids and how we teach them. -- Richard Striner, PhD, Washington College; parent
