RE: Physics education via the internet?

[forinas@indiana.edu (kyle forinash)]

Dewey and Frank;

Can you point us to similar articles that attempt to analyze the use of the
internet (specifically) for instructional purposes? Is anyone doing
research along those lines?

I agree with your referenced articles below that much of what is currently
done with computers in the classroom is not very effective or useful (at
least that has been my experience). Throwing computers into the classroom
willy-nilly right now is probably a big waste of money. What that means to
me (being an optimist) is not that computers can't be used effectively for
educational purposes, it's just that no one has figured out how to do that
well yet. We should be proceeding much more cautiously, and base our
approach on solid educational research (as your group is trying to do).

My point here is that a significant number of people have to try out new
things before we know if they will be useful or not. I don't think we know
yet if or how internet access might be educationally useful.

kyle

> > For an excellent review of the topic, see "The Computer Delusion", by Todd
> > Oppenhemer, Atlantic Monthly, July 1997, pages 45-62.
> >
> > The subtitle reads:
> >
> > "There is no good evidence that most uses of computers significantly improve
> > teaching and learning, yet school districts are cutting programs -- music,
> > art,
> > physical education--that enrich children't lives to make room for this
> > dubious
> > nostrum, and the Clinton Administration has embraced the goal of
> > 'computers in
> > every classroom" with credulous and costly enthusiasm."
> >
> > The author presents a number of points to ponder.  Truth probably lies in
> > some
> > middle ground, but it seems to be a national trait to move to extremes.
> >
> >  :-)                                                         :-)
> >  :-)   Frank M. Lanzafame           Department of Chemistry  :-)
>
> There is an article in the proceedings to the Computers in Physics
> Instruction Conference by some guy named Dykstra quoting several others
> saying essentially this same thing.  These citations are to folks who have
> analyzed the results of MANY studies.
>
> "Wondering About Physics... Using Computers and Spreadsheet Software in
> Physics Instruction", in The Conference on Computers in Physics
> Instruction:  Proceedings, John Risley and Edward Redish (eds.), published
> by Addison-Wesley, 1990
>
> (I've set my mail program not to send the formatting info with the above.
> I hope that it works.  If not, my apologies.  Please try to "read through"
> it.)
>
> Dewey
>
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> Dewey I. Dykstra, Jr.                   Phone: (208)385-3105
> Professor of Physics                    Dept:  (208)385-3775
> Department of Physics/SN318             Fax: (208)385-4330
> Boise State University                  dykstrad@varney.idbsu.edu
> 1910 University Drive                   Boise Highlanders
> Boise, ID 83725-1570                       novice piper
>
> "Physical concepts are the free creations of the human mind and
> are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external
> world."--A. Einstein in The Evolution of Physics with L. Infeld,
> 1938
>
> "Don't mistake your watermelon for the universe."  --K. Amdahl in
> There Are No Electrons, 1991.
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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