Teachers Push Back Against Mandatory Classroom Technology

A front-page article in the New York Times (1/4, Richtel, Subscription Publication, 1.23M) describes teacher resistance to a push to expand classroom technology in Idaho, where a new law "requires all high school students to take some online classes to graduate" in a step toward "a fundamental change in the role of teachers, making them less a lecturer at the front of the room and more of a guide helping students through lessons delivered on computers." The article describes this conflict as emblematic of a broader "tension" nationwide, noting that "some teachers, even though they may embrace classroom technology, feel policy makers are thrusting computers into classrooms without their input or proper training." The piece notes that teachers in Idaho say that the changes are more attributable to "heavy lobbying by technology companies" than to any proven instructional benefit.