The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents | Fortune
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Neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath said older generations “screwed up” giving students access to so much technology: “I genuinely hope Gen Z quickly figures that out and gets mad.”

In 2002, Maine became the first state to implement a statewide laptop program to some grade levels. Then-governor Angus King saw the program as a way to put the internet at the fingertips of more children, who would be able to immerse themselves in information.

By that fall, the Maine Learning Technology Initiative had distributed 17,000 Apple laptops to seventh graders across 243 middle schools. By 2016, those numbers had multiplied to 66,000 laptops and tablets distributed to Maine students.

King’s initial efforts have been mirrored across the country. In 2024, the U.S. spent more than $30 billion putting laptops and tablets in schools. But more than a quarter-century and numerous evolving models of technology later, psychologists and learning experts see a different outcome than the one King intended. Rather than empowering the generation with access to more knowledge, the technology had the opposite effect.

  • FishFace@piefed.socialEnglish
    191·
    10 hours ago

    So the interesting line for me, that many comments obviously didn’t read, is:

    Horvath noted not only dipping test scores, but also a stark correlation in scores and time spent on computers in school

    So there clearly is something up with computers in school. But this doesn’t exclude the possibility that the kids who are getting their brains fucked by addictive algorithms are then more likely to fuck about on school computers. This line:

    Horvath blamed this tendency to get off-track as a key contributor to technology hindering learning.

    Suggests it’s not “tech” but “distractions enabled by tech” which is having the effect, i.e. if school laptops and tablets were locked down you wouldn’t see as much of an effect.

    • mirshafie@europe.pub
      41·
      6 hours ago

      Lots of tech is also badly designed honestly. I know it’s the main reason I’m on Linux. I’m not a programmer, I’m just very easily distracted so I benefit from keyboard-driven applications with no weird attention-grabbing banners or blinking text or obnoxious sounds. I need a consistent design language or I can feel my blood pressure spike. I’m sure the same is true for most people just to a much less noticeable extent.

      • FishFace@piefed.socialEnglish
        3·
        8 hours ago

        Heh, yeah. When I was at school, security was an afterthought. You could run a .reg file and give yourself any privileges. Bypassing the filters involved going on babelfish and translating from Chinese into English.

    • femtek@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      4·
      9 hours ago

      Same thing when I was working from home before I had a company laptop. I was using my PC and could easily get distracted by YouTube. Having a separate one if better for privacy and keeping on task.