Mr. Cooper

Yes, this is a positive development but it comes with potential collateral damage. If districts treat this as a silver bullet for improving outcomes, which we know is likely to be the case, without taking the necessary steps to strengthen explicit instruction grounded in the science of learning, such as knowledge-rich curricula, Rosenshine’s principles, Cognitive Load Theory, and retrieval practice, they’re unlikely to see the impact they expect. For decades, many teachers have been trained to rely heavily on computers and technology as primary tools for instruction but often more as a form of management than meaningful teaching. As a result, many are neither prepared nor experienced in delivering strong, tech-free explicit instruction. If districts move in this direction, or any direction for that matter, it must be paired with substantial investment in building teachers’ capacity for explicit instruction. Without that, it may simply result in a shift toward worksheet-driven busywork and essentially printing out what used to be on the screen and having students complete it on paper. Unfortunately, I’m skeptical that level of commitment will follow.

If my child’s school asked me to pay to cover some of the costs of student Chromebooks I’d say no. If they asked me to pay to cover some of the costs to go back to paper & (text)book-based teaching I would say yes. In a flash.

This is such a powerful quote from Hornets Head Coach, Charles Lee “Anybody that's gonna push you loves you more than anybody that's gonna let you stay the same."

“Schools in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Michigan that once bought devices for each student are now re-evaluating heavy classroom technology use”

Let's knock it off with the all-or-nothing hot takes. Good teachers utilize tech ONLY when it gets them the results they want. Foolish teachers (and schools) use tech as their blanket strategy. And tweets like this are rage bait. Don't advocate for bans that take tools out of the hands of teachers and students. Advocate for more responsible instructional decisions based on pedagogy and best practice.