"No Child Left Untableted" - Carlo Rotella

“No Child Left Untableted” – Carlo Rotella

The article I read for the “article report” blog post was “ No Child Left Untableted.” This article was recently published in September of 2013 and focused on the implementation and integration of technology, specifically tablets, into classroom learning around the country. In addition, the article also discussed how this new technology would help to create a more developed educational system in the United States, that will put students back on track for better foundational educations. The overall integration of technology into the classroom is a relatively new idea, and with all new ideas come a variety of opinions on whether it will be productive to students in the classroom or harmful to the educational system over time. It is clear throughout the article that the author is not adding his opinion to this piece, but rather laying out both sides for the reader to make an informed opinion from. The most interesting piece to me I found in the reading was the idea that just putting this technology in the classroom isn’t enough, it’s about how “…teachers must combine those traditional classroom skills with new ones.” Although I agree with the idea of infusing classrooms with modern technology to help individualize the educational programs available, it does make me nervous that at the same time, this technology will begin teaching rather then the teachers themselves. We are at a turning point in educational reform as many baby boomer teachers are slowly retiring and a new generation of tech-savvy teachers is working into the classrooms. The article does show a clear delineation, drawn from the various opinions mixed in, that the role of the teacher is not only necessary now, but also more important then ever. The author isn’t claiming that technology is the end-all, be-all for fixing our downward sloping education trends, but rather (through specific quotes) the utilization of this technology by well-educated teachers is what will make a positive difference in the long run. The integration of technology into classrooms is inevitable, it is how teachers respond to these changes that will have the greatest impact on foundational learning.

This article was published on September 12, 2013 in The New York Times. The article was targeted towards those interested in educational reform and the integration of technology in all facets of the economy, including the privatization of educational tools.

Carlo Rotella is the director of American Studies at Boston College and the author, most recently, of “Playing in time: Essays, Profiles and Other True Stories.” He is a Ph.D. from Yale University and has published four books and over 20 different articles throughout his tenure as a professor of English at Boston College. He is considered a thought leader on the various educational reform challenges and initiatives.

Here are a few other articles and books on the same topic by different authors who may have reached different conclusions:

Gentile, M. (2012). The Importance of Managing iPads in the Classroom. Ann Arbor: Prakken Publications, Inc.

Armstrong, A. (2014). Technology in the Classroom: It's Not a Matter of 'If,' but 'When' and 'How'. Ann Arbor: Prakken Publications, Inc.

Lamb, A. Johnson, L. (2012). Beyond Words in Word: Tablets and the New World of Writing. Bowie: E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC.