Did Oppenheimer Influence Bauerlein’s Dumbest Generation?
My friend and colleague Tim Holt, the Director of Instructional Technology for the El Paso school district, dropped me a note last month about an article in the London Daily Mail asserting technology, specifically violent videogames, causes brain damage (or at least significantly alters brain functions). Tim wraps things up the issue nicely in his post here.
I wrote back saying it sounded alarmist, and reminded me of a new book called The Dumbest Generation by Emory University English professor Mark Bauerlein. The full title is The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don’t Trust Anyone Under 30). Tim went out and scored an interview with Dr. Bauerlein, which he posted on the podcast side of his blog here. Bauerlein says (among other things) that students are inundated with distractions from consoles, computers, and other digital errata.
It seems every so often an author comes out and criticizes technology in the classroom. This draws up a beehive of discussion. I can think of two (somewhat) recent examples. Stanford professor Larry Cuban’s book, Underused and Oversold: Computers in the Classroom is one, and The Flickering Mind: The False Promise of Technology in the Classroom and How Learning Can Be Saved by journalist Todd Oppenheimer.
The big difference between Bauerlein’s efforts and those of Oppenheimer and Cuban is that videogames are part of the mix now. Interestingly, Bauerlein reviewed Oppenheimer’s book back in 2004 here. Hmmm. I read Oppenheimer’s book, and found it to be mostly a documentation of technology failures in public schools, sourced mainly from articles in eSchoolNews. Could it be that Oppenheimer’s negativity influenced Dr. Bauerlein’s current work?
Uncategorized | John Rice | 
June 7, 2008 11:04 am
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By Tim, June 8, 2008 @ 12:13 pm
John,
I found my interview with Bauerlien somewhat bi-polar..On one hand he knocks ed tech..or at least the incorrect use of it..and on the other hand he uses tech to sell the book. It was interesting to say the least. That was why I asked him if he allowed students to use laptops in his class..something he admitted to doing until this semester…the semester he released his book.
A lot of what he complains about, poor use of time, using technology to do useless excercises, having kids surf the net during classes, wasting time on myspace..etc..sound a lot like the old complaints that every generation has…”that d***ed rock music will destroy the world”…and dang it, if kids are surfing the net during class..then that is a class management issue…
On the other hand, I agree that we often have to have some kind of self introspection..that only makes one stronger.
I bet the folks at Abelene Christian University, which hand out iPhones to all students, have a completely different take on ed tech..
viva la difference!
By John Rice, June 8, 2008 @ 1:05 pm
Tim, your comments on Bauerlein’s new take on laptops in the classroom reminds me of my master’s program in the late 90s. I’d show up with a laptop and be the only one in class with one. Then I’d share the nicely typed notes I made with other students.
Now, of course, the laptop is no longer a novelty in class and I’m no longer sitting in the students’ desks anyway. But, I think if I were in a class where the prof had banned laptops, I’d probably use my tablet to take notes with a stylus.
I just became way too reliant on typed notes over the years, and found that converting handwritten notes later was a waste of time.
I do realize that I was probably an exception to the rule of students using laptops to surf the web or play games during lectures. But, I agree with you that it really boils down to classroom management. When I last taught, it didn’t bother me so much. What’s the difference between playing solitaire and doodling on notebook paper? Inattention is all the same, regardless of whether a laptop is involved. A good lecturer will engage the students, perhaps throw in some group work, and keep the class on their collective toes rather than droning on for an hour and a half.
JR