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Getting There

By Alan Warhaftig

After a decade of substantial spending, educational technology remains, to borrow from T.S. Eliot, “a perpetual possibility/ only in a world of speculation.” Computers will eventually play a significant role in K-12 instruction, but the what, how, and when have yet to be determined.

Software designer Marc Prensky, a leading advocate of technology-centered learning, expresses boundless faith in both children as self-directed learners and software’s capacity to productively channel their curiosity. Kids love computer games, so the desire to “level up”—to reach the next stage in a game—can be used to create software that motivates students to master algebra...