I just read an article that made me tsk, tsk, tsk. And not for the reasons you may suspect.

The article suggests using mobile devices and apps to help students in low performing schools. I agree. I am sure I have mentioned the benefits of both games and apps in the education of children more than once here and other places.

I took issue with the condescension dripping from the article. The shock and surprise that black and Latino children have become so engaged with electronic devices. Was the author alive in the 80s? Has he heard nothing of Atari, hand-held football games, Nintendo, Walkman, (boom) boxes, Coleco, or gameboys? Hello?

And then there was another assumption. That teachers know anything at all about computers and mobile phones. While decrying the distrust and hostility between public school students and teachers, the author glibly suggest the use of mobile apps to break the ice between the two.

And when are the teachers going to overcome the ‘eye of the chicken’–that distrust and disdain for technology that seems to go hand in hand with a teacher’s certificate–long enough to find and share those apps with their students?

The implication that there is a difference between games and learning, or that of course minority groups are more into entertainment than anything else?

I won’t dignify that with a response.