Back to School: Education in the Digital Age
Episode 6 | 4m 20s | Video has closed captioning.
Steve heads to Khan Academy and Bay Area schools to report on tech in education.
Aired: 02/12/14
Problems Playing Video? | Closed Captioning
Episode 6 | 4m 20s | Video has closed captioning.
Steve heads to Khan Academy and Bay Area schools to report on tech in education.
Aired: 02/12/14
Problems Playing Video? | Closed Captioning
[theme music] Finally tonight, a report on the role of technology in education-- PBS's Steve Goldbloom brings us more from his "On Technology" series.
RON RICHARDSON: I'm Ron Richardson and I'm the co-principal here at Claremont Middle School.
STEVE GOLDBLOOM: Well, what's your opinion of the role of technology in education?
RON RICHARDSON: It would be such an inequity if our kids didn't have access to 21st-century learning and to technology.
It'd be a tragedy.
Our students need to be equipped on how to be competitive in the workforce.
STUDENT: The number that I-- Can I go sit with the kids?
No.
STUDENT: Is going to be-- STEVE GOLDBLOOM: I think I should go sit-- This is just for B-roll.
You don't need to sit with the kids.
I think I'm going to go sit with the kids anyways.
STUDENT: Because I have to-- yes?
Is that why there are black Caribbeans-- Just Wikipedia it-- Down there?
TEACHER: No, that's not why there are black Caribbeans, OK?
We have our elective program here, where we have computer animation.
We also have an ethnic studies class, where they focus on multimedia.
So kids have full access to using technology.
That was everything I wanted.
Noah?
Tech is making a big push inside the classroom, with many viewing it is the great equalizer among students.
But here at the Waldorf School, screens and tablets don't even make it through the front door.
Are you going to be here the whole time or just the-- part of the time?
The whole time.
What will your role be?
Do you know?
Where do you see the role of technology in education right now?
From the outset of technology in education, it's kind of been foisted on teachers and without the teachers saying, Here's where it makes sense for me to use it.
Here's where it doesn't.
I'll walk you through what we're doing.
Can I look at you?
You can just look right at me.
OK. And we'll talk very naturally.
And don't even worry about Maria.
She's not even here.
I don't worry about Maria.
It's so funny looking.
OK. She's-- she's the best.
So I want to make sure-- MARIA: Do you want to focus on the philosophy of the school?
That would be great.
Thanks, Maria.
So the Waldorf-- it's the Waldorf Peninsula.
I'm just going to say-- And then, also make sure that she phrases it as a question.
That way, if we need to take your voice out, we can use it.
JORDAN SMITH (ON PHONE): Hello?
Jordy, who is this Maria person?
Is she a producer?
Are you replacing me?
JORDAN SMITH (ON PHONE): Yeah, she's your babysitter, Steve.
After the crap you filed to send us in Vegas, what did you think was going to happen?
STEVE GOLDBLOOM: Well, she's pushy, she's getting in the way, and she's making me incredibly nervous.
JORDAN SMITH (ON PHONE): Yeah, well, you're making all of us incredibly nervous.
You're on probation right now, Steve.
You need adult supervision.
That is ridiculous.
I don't need to be treated like a child.
Make it look like I did it, Noah, myself.
What did you bring for lunch?
I haven't checked yet.
You have no idea?
How do you not know?
It's something.
Just calm down, Steve.
Just calm down.
We're having a conversation.
Hey, [inaudible].
No?
OK.
I have this supervisor and she's on me all the time.
GIRL: That's annoying.
It is annoying.
She's following me around.
It's unnerving.
I mean-- Ah!
Just want to get-- Ah!
STEVE GOLDBLOOM: Just a few miles down the road from Waldorf is the Khan Academy, which has a whole new approach to classroom learning.
And the slope is not constant here.
Mm-hmm.
For a line, the slope was constant.
Right.
So the whole point of differential calculus is, How do we figure out that instantaneous slope at any point?
Well, do you want to break it up with some ping pong?
SALMAN KHAN: So Khan Academy, I set it up as a not-for-profit about four or five years ago.
And the whole idea-- our mission statement is "a free world-class education for anyone anywhere."
The videos are part of it but we also have exercises.
We have dashboards for teachers.
We have feedback for students.
You know, the reality is that even a good chunk of the US still does not have broadband at home, still does not have a computer at home.
So yes, it's a problem in the short term but in the longer term, I feel pretty good about the dynamics of technology penetration.
You got it?
Hey.
Hey, how did it go?
It went really well.
Yeah?
Yeah, no, it was a standard.
Why don't you take a look at it?
[scrambled speech] [phone rings] MARIA: Hello?
JORDAN SMITH (ON PHONE): What's up?
I need you to consider stepping in for Steve.
No, no, no, no.
We've already talked about this.
JORDAN SMITH (ON PHONE): How much stuff of ping pong or horseplay do I have to endure?
He's a liability, Maria.
Keep him on a short leash.
Will do.
[click]