Surprise Face: Popularity of tech programs and student outcomes are not necessarily linked.

via Ed Week (http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/05/11/popularity-of-ed-tech-not-necessarily-linked.html)

And it's really not a surprised face.

I fear I have a confirmation bias reading this article. 

The article suggests that highly adopted technology programs are not necessarily highly effective technology programs.  This is because easily adopted technologies do not require changes in the way teachers teach.  Technology is substituted for a different research, but the teaching is still fundamentally the same.

Technology seems to have the most impact on student outcomes when teachers have the ability to rethink they was they teach.  It takes time, it takes some freedom to safely experiment, and it takes some resilience to give up some of our conceptions of education.  Trying to force that from the top down is difficult. 

The next question is - should be requiring all teachers to teach with technology in deep ways (let's say, the ITSE standards).  I'm willing to argue that there are some very, very good teachers who may not benefit from the use of technology.  Technology does not make you a better teacher.  If there is a teacher who is really uncomfortable with integrating technology but doing a great job otherwise, why mess with it?

Grass-roots.  Teacher-driven.  Supported by leadership.  Time. Time. Time.  That is what every study seems to show.