Computers, learning, testing

At iMentorCorps we're big believers in using technology to make learning more effective.

But can learning be completely automated?  Can a one-hundred percent online solution be effective?

Many think so.  We say, "not so fast."  Technology is an amazing tool.  But it's a tool to be used by teachers, parents, and students, and not an end in itself.

Last week, Juan Williams wrote a terrific article for the Wall Street Journal.

Our schools are undoubtedly in crisis. Prize-winning documentaries such as "Waiting for 'Superman'" have revealed the terrible cost of losing young minds to failing schools. Dropout rates are particularly high among minority children in urban schools. But even parents in the best suburban schools are alarmed by the fact that the U.S. now ranks 30th world-wide in math, 23rd in science, and 17th in literacy.

What is so insanely great about technology in education is that it's a highly cost-effective force multiplier--when used properly.  In his article Juan Williams talks about public schools in Mooresville, North Carolina (famous as "Race City, USA," home of Nascar).

This is why the modestly funded schools in Mooresville are drawing national attention. The school district ranks 100th out of 115 school districts in North Carolina on per-pupil spending. But in the last 10 years, its test scores have pushed it from a middling rank among North Carolina's school districts to a tie for second place.

The question I had reading Juan's article was, how?

Mooresville gave every student from third grade through high school a laptop computer.

All of their textbooks, notes, learning materials and assignments are computerized, allowing teachers and parents to track their progress in real time. If a student is struggling, their computer-learning program can be adjusted to meet their needs and get them back up to speed. And the best students no longer wait on slow students to catch up. Top students are constantly pushed to their limits by new curricular material on their laptops.

Every phase of a student's education is a data point that can be tracked, analyzed, and compared.  This lets teachers, parents, and administrators know where the challenges lie both for individuals and for categories.

iMentorCorps doesn't think computers can or should replace teachers and parents.  But iMentorCorps offers schools a free (meaning really free--no cost to schools, students, or parents) way to show which students need extra help passing the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), which are going to pass with flying colors, and where teachers need to focus.  In one of our pilot programs, for example, we discovered that a class needed extra focus on adding and subtracting fractions.  A little extra work on fractions meant that a higher percentage of students would pass the CAHSEE.  This type of specific feedback is one of the benefits of using iMentorCorps in your school.

On an individual basis, iMentorCorps helps students practice for the CAHSEE, and our explanations and help videos explain every answer.

We think Juan Williams hits on an important point in his article.  Technology can effectively help students improve and excel.  iMentorCorps is, we think, an outstanding tool to help teachers help students learn how they can help themselves.

We plan to expand iMentorCorps in the future to cover any entrance or exit exam.

Right now we're focused on the CAHSEE.  If you'd like to talk to us to see how iMentorCorps can help your student, your class, or your school, contact us!