Wed Jul 2, 2014, 09:09 PM

Gates' Excuse for Poor Results of Educational Technology: "Unmotivated Students"

So, will Gates change his attitude on attacking teachers?

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2014/07/bill_gates_excuse.html

If there is one thing Bill Gates has been a fan of, it is the role of technology in improving education. But recent comments he has made suggest he may be starting to see that even technology may not be all powerful. And this leads to some deeper questions about the viability of the entire education reform project. In Lyndsey Layton's recent interview, Gates had this to say:

snip

Gates' recent comments in Los Alamos suggest where he places the blame.

New technology to engage students holds some promise, but Gates says it tends to only benefit those who are motivated.

"And the one thing we have a lot of in the United States is unmotivated students," Gates said.

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9 replies	Author	Time	Post
Gates' Excuse for Poor Results of Educational Technology: "Unmotivated Students" (Original post)	tinymontgomery	Jul 2014	OP
kids want to use the tech for fun & personal communication, not for "education" nt	msongs	Jul 2014	#1
K & R	femmocrat	Jul 2014	#2
People can't be motivated by machines, Bill. They need other human beings to engage them.	arcane1	Jul 2014	#3
Try being a CTE or advanced-level science teacher.	Igel	Jul 2014	#7
Great point! I handn't thought about that.	arcane1	Jul 2014	#8
Oops expensive mistake	lunasun	Jul 2014	#4
Well no shit.	Rod Beauvex	Jul 2014	#5
That's code for "bad teachers."	knitter4democracy	Jul 2014	#6
Yup.	Igel	Jul 2014	#9

Response to tinymontgomery (Original post)

Wed Jul 2, 2014, 09:12 PM

msongs (59,455 posts)

1. kids want to use the tech for fun & personal communication, not for "education" nt

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Response to tinymontgomery (Original post)

Wed Jul 2, 2014, 09:14 PM

femmocrat (28,194 posts)

2. K & R

Worth reading... makes some great points. Thanks.

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Response to tinymontgomery (Original post)

Wed Jul 2, 2014, 09:17 PM

arcane1 (38,613 posts)

3. People can't be motivated by machines, Bill. They need other human beings to engage them.

I can't think of any educational problems that were the result of "not enough technology."

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Response to arcane1 (Reply #3)

Thu Jul 3, 2014, 08:35 PM

Igel (31,554 posts)

7. Try being a CTE or advanced-level science teacher.

You want to teach kids to write phone apps, you need tech.

And I'm real tired of marbles, pool balls, and ramps. Or using styrofoam cups as calorimeters. You don't need high tech, but there's a limit to what you can do with the level of tech you can get at Sam's Club for $100 for 150 students.

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Response to Igel (Reply #7)

Thu Jul 3, 2014, 08:39 PM

arcane1 (38,613 posts)

8. Great point! I handn't thought about that.

I think my mind instantly went to CBT since we're stuck with that at work, and I hate not having a teacher to ask questions to

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Response to tinymontgomery (Original post)

Wed Jul 2, 2014, 09:50 PM

lunasun (20,833 posts)

4. Oops expensive mistake

Thanks Bill

This is the DU member formerly known as lunasun.

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Response to tinymontgomery (Original post)

Wed Jul 2, 2014, 09:50 PM

Rod Beauvex (564 posts)

5. Well no shit.

Why bust you ass when there will be no jobs because they were shipped overseas? Or filled with cheap H1-Bs? Or automated? Or pay burger flipping wages that will never cover the cost of the schooling?

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Response to tinymontgomery (Original post)

Wed Jul 2, 2014, 11:17 PM

knitter4democracy (14,350 posts)

6. That's code for "bad teachers."

As we all know, student motivation is entirely due to how effective their teachers are.

Seriously, though, I have read many articles by reformers that argue that while ignoring all the other possible reasons for lack of motivation.

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Response to knitter4democracy (Reply #6)

Thu Jul 3, 2014, 08:43 PM

Igel (31,554 posts)

9. Yup.

Thing is, for a lot of students that's a learned behavior. But we mustn't say where they learned it.

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