"It is commonly believed that innovations create changes - but
few ever do. Successful innovations exploit changes that have
already happened."
Peter Drucker
"If an elderly, but distinguished, scientist says that something
is possible, he is almost certainly right, but if he says it is
impossible, he is very probably wrong."
Arthur C. Clarke, 1969
"Probable impossibilities are to be preferred to improbable possibilities"
Aristotle, Poetics 24, 1460a.
A Very Rasch prediction - correct so far!
Here is a report that confirms the findings of Boone & Gabel, "A U-turn on the Information Highway?", RMT 8:3, p.369, 1994.
Why Computers Have Not Saved The Classroom
What impact has computer technology had on public education in the US? That's the question journalist Todd Oppenheimer sets out to answer. His conclusion: Putting computers in classrooms has been almost entirely wasteful, and the rush to keep schools up-to-date with the latest technology has been largely pointless, reports Bob Blaisdell. "At this early stage of the personal computer's history, the technology is far too complex and error prone to be smoothly integrated into most classrooms," Oppenheimer writes. "While the technology business is creatively frantic, financially strapped public schools cannot afford to keep up with the innovations." Of course, this is not the first time US schools have been seduced by new technology, Oppenheimer points out. He summarizes the history of technological innovations in American schools and explains how each (TV among them) has been hailed as education's savior. Oppenheimer examines individual schools where technology has been useful, but there he largely credits the enthusiasm and devotion of individual teachers. The most effective teachers, he argues, are those who know enough to ignore the latest technological products and rely on such hands-on technology as pens and paper, musical instruments, wooden blocks, and rulers. These findings contrast sharply with education advocates who argue that education will become increasingly digital, mobile, and virtual.
Excerpted from:
www.csmonitor.coin/2003/1014/p20sO2-lecl.html
Reported in PEN Weekly NewsBlast, Oct. 17, 2003
Pacific Rim Objective Measurement Symposium (PROMS) & International Symposium on Measurement and Evaluation (ISME) 2005
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
June 21-23, 2005 (Tues.-Thur.)
Speakers include Trevor Bond & Mike Linacre
Presentation proposals invited.
Symposia details at: www.iiu.edu.my/proms&isme2005
June 20, 2005 - Monday: Pre-Conference Workshop on Winsteps and Facets, conducted by Mike Linacre
This event is hosted by the Research Centre of the International Islamic University of Malaysia
Rasch Workshops
March 21-22, 2005 - Monday-Tuesday, Chicago IL
July 25-26, 2005 - Monday-Tuesday, Chicago IL
Introduction to IRT/Rasch measurement using Winsteps
conducted by Ken Conrad & Nick Bezruczko
www.winsteps.com/workshop.htm
April 9-10, 2005 - Sat. -Sun., Montreal QU (pre-AERA)
An Introduction to Rasch Measurement:
Theory and Applications
conducted by Richard M. Smith and Everett Smith
www.jampress.org
May 24-26, 2005 - Tuesday-Thursday, Dallas TX
Winsteps workshops
May 31-June 2, 2005 '- Tuesday-Thursday, Dallas TX Facets workshop
conducted by Mike Linacre
www.winsteps.com/seminar.htm
June 20, 2005 - Monday, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Winsteps and Facets workshop
conducted by Mike Linacre
www.iiu.edu.my/proms&isme2005
July 27-28, 2005 - Wed.-Thursday, Chicago IL
Introduction to Many-Facet Rasch Measurement using Facets
conducted by Carol Myford & Lidia Dobria
www.winsteps.com/workshop.htm
RMT 18:4 Notes and Quotes … Rasch Measurement Transactions, 2005, 18:4 p. 9
The URL of this page is www.rasch.org/rmt/rmt184k.htm
Website: www.rasch.org/rmt/contents.htm