One wonders and fears how things such as this might compromise both research choices and the peer review system. We hear so many stories about the medical-industrial-academic connection (and actually saw it close up once) - do we have the same thing in education? The online learning that Carnegie Learning promotes is not only a specific software, but seems based in both a narrow vision of the learning process (and connected to some of the research done at Carnegie Mellon) and a very specific way of using computers in the learning process. Can we paraphrase Upton Sinclair and sayi"It is very hard to get a research scientist to admit something is an interesting idea if his royalty check is based on it not being an interesting idea."
I was especially depressed to see that the software had been sold to the University of Pheonix. A disturbing article all around.
Michael
________________________________
From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu on behalf of mike cole
Sent: Sun 10/9/2011 2:38 PM
To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity; UClinks
Subject: [xmca] Fwd: NYTimes.com: Inflating the Software Report Card
Front page news in the ny times.
Caveat emptor, including us.
mike
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* TECHNOLOGY * | October 09, 2011
* Grading the Digital School: Inflating the Software Report Card
<http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/technology/a-classroom-software-boom-but-mixed-results-despite-the-hype.html?emc=eta1>
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By TRIP GABRIEL and MATT RICHTEL
Debate continues to rage over the effectiveness of technology in learning,
and how best to measure it. But it is difficult to tell that from technology
companies' promotional materials.
Copyright 2011
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