Failure to Disrupt: Why Technology Alone Can’t Transform Education Book Review (Book Review)

Failure to Disrupt: Why Technology Alone Can’t Transform Education?

Written by: Justin Reich

Introduction

Justin Reich’s book 2020 book, Failure to Disrupt: Why Technology Alone Can’t Transform Education is an interesting read. It is a callback to Clayton Christensen, Michael Horn, and Curtis Johnson’s Disrupting Class which predicted the rise in education technology and the fall of traditional classrooms. From the perspective of a technology-fluent teacher, doctoral student, and millennial, I had a hard time putting this eight-chapter book down. This book is available in hardcover, Kindle, and audiobook format. As a busy educator, I can appreciate books that are available in many formats. The ability to listen to a book while driving to school, and class is a benefit of technological innovation. Continuing the realm of technological innovations, Reich outlines the benefits and pitfalls of learning technologies.?

Summary

Beginning with the introduction, Reich takes us back to 2013 reminiscing of the ‘simple times’ of the rainbow loom toy. No batteries, internet, devices, or apps needed. Just kids, and parts to make bracelets. While this toy was fun and engaging for kids, it could often be frustrating to create the intricate designs. I was graduating high school at this time, but I remember the crafting bracelets too. This is where technology came in handy, to make intricate designs like the starburst, people started making videos and how-to tutorials. A simple toy was upgraded with the integrating of technology.?

Reich then takes readers through the first two decades of the twenty-first century with informal learning practices and social changes brought on by mobile devices. He reminds us of blogging, social media, dating apps, and streaming technologies. Here is where we meet the reason for this book, Harvard business school professor Clayton Christensen, with Michael Horn, and Curtis Johnson’s book Disrupting Class predicted, “by 2019 half of all middle and high school courses would be replaced online options” with the courses being cheaper and better. (Reich, 2020, pg. 4) They had based this claim on Salman Khan’s 2008 creation of Khan Academy, which is a website collection of short video explanations of math concepts. Khan Academy later became an extensive collection of videos and practice problems, rocketing Khan into a book author, TED speaker, and being on the cover of Forbes Magazine. Reich sets up the format of his book into two parts, starting with the genres of learning at scale, and moving into the last part of dilemmas in learning at scale.?

Part I-Three Genres in Learning at Scale

Chapter 1

This chapter, title “Instructor-Guided Learning at Scale: Massive Open Online Courses” discusses the Massive Online Open Courses, or ‘MOOC’ as free online courses. Upon the creation of the MOOC, there were “three big bets” for the future of MOOCs and the revolutionization of higher education. (p. 19) First being that MOOCs would transform the model of higher education and wipeout many universities and colleges. Next focusing on how MOOCs would increase global access to higher education. Finishing up with new online courses being able to provide more engaging learning experiences. These big bets to disrupt education, did no such thing. Studies found that MOOCs were mainly accessed by people already holding degrees, and those with self-motivation to complete online courses. Reich interjects that MOOCs could be effective in serving beyond the already educated with extra social support, realizing the issue with MOOCs is not in their technology but in the social structure of education. Having attended a few MOOCs in my life, I would tend to agree with Reich’s comments. They were created on big ideas but failed to deliver in most areas. They work well to refresh learning, or teach basic ideas about a topic, but you must be motivated enough to work toward something that does not have much payout. MOOC attendees occasionally may earn certificates or transfer credits.?

Chapter 2?

Here we learn about adaptive tutoring programs in the chapter titled, “Algorithm-Guided Learning at Scale: Adaptive Tutors and Computer-Assisted Instruction”. Sequencing in adaptive programs is based “algorithmic assignment rather than by instructor designation.” (pg. 47) Reich notes that this is a step up from MOOCs where it’s a ‘one-size-fits-all’ learning platform. He mentions that these programs go by many names, which is true (and can be confusing) so I appreciate how he narrows it down to either adaptive tutors or computer-assisted instruction (CAI). We learn about how these programs adapt to student responses, such as the instance with Khan Academy. If a student gets an answer right, the system assigns harder problems from the same domain. If they get a problem wrong, they can try again, get hints, or move on. Here we see how Clayton Christensen’s idea of “disruptive innovation,” comes in. CAI requires money, and lots of it. Money into hardware, computer time, professional development, software selection, parental communication, and many other factors. We dive into the history of computer-based instruction for K-12 schools, and how CAI can be used to collect data points. Results from studies on adaptive learning tools have mixed results, Reich outlines. Researchers have found it difficult based on the factors of teacher technology education, student time dedicated to CAI, and assessment results. Reich ends this chapter lamenting that CAI and MOOCs are useful, but they do not transform education.?

Chapter 3

Personalized learning was the newest education fad of 2010 bringing us to this chapter of, “Peer-Guided Learning at Scale: Networked Learning Communities.” Reich notions that the tutorial is, “considered the ideal mode of learning.” (pg. 78) Human tutors are too expensive, so technology tutors come in handy. A course hashtag was created for a learning community. Students could use a hashtag on their own blog, or tweet, and be able to find likewise information based on that hashtag. Years later, this hashtag can still be searched, and the information is available. This chapter focuses on the idea of connectivism, the social and cultural dimensions of education. Reich notions that unlike instructor guided, or algorithm guided learning at scale, peer-guided networked learning is the way of the future. Networking, and learning from each other is how education will teach the young and old.?

Chapter 4

Finishing up Part I, Riech moves readers into the final chapter of “Testing the Genres of Learning at Scale: Learning Games”. Learning games are used as an example of the major themes discussed in this chapter. Brain training games, as often advertised as Apps or websites, can be used to transfer situational learning to day-to-day tasks. Or so certain games claim to be true. In this chapter the reader discovers that these claims are false. Many games claim cognitive benefits but fail to deliver. Where do learning games come into consideration with this claim? Game researcher Brenda Laurel came up with the perfect analogy for gamification, “chocolate-covered broccoli.” (p. 111) Learning games take activities that could be done on a worksheet and turns them into a game. The game part is the chocolate, and the learning is the broccoli. Certain games are also algorithm-guided like the adaptive tutors previously learned about. Finally, Reich concludes Part I by telling the best learning technologies are updated based on research, iteration, and refinement.?

Part II-Dilemma in Learning at Scale

Chapter 5

Starting out Part II, Reich discusses “The Curse of the Familiar” and how teachers may stray away from new technologies. The old, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” may apply to many teachers here. I have also found this to be true, and as advocate for educational technology, many of my older colleagues tend to not use their smart boards, or other technologies because they are anxious. Even with proper training, educators tend to use new technologies in old ways. Starting off with using technology to replicate old practices, educators can start to integrate technology. Often it does not go much beyond that initial trial.

Chapter 6

Based on the Gospel of Matthew “The Edtech Matthew Effect” chapter focuses on the dilemma of educational technology benefits the already affluent. The biblical Gospel of Matthew discusses how whoever has, will be given more, and whoever does not have, what they have will be taken. Technology can reproduce inequalities through free and open education. Hypothetically those are good things, but they can disproportionately benefit those already at an advantage.?

Chapter 7

Technology can be useful for certain things, but in this chapter “The Trap of Routine Assessment” we discover how computerization is taking over many jobs. Many professions are bringing in technologies to do the simple tasks, so people do not have to sit down and search for things a computer could easily do. Reich outlines the main point as robots and autograders cannot replace teachers. Computers can only assess what they know to be true, they do not have the ability to think beyond what is inputted into their systems. Technology is useful when it comes to defined terms and highly routine tasks.?

Chapter 8

Reich begins this chapter with the analogy of heroes and villains in, “The Toxic Power of Data and Experiments.” Data collection and experimentation are described as toxic assets. They can be used to solve issues, but if used incorrectly, they can cause big issues. There is so much data out there and learning technologies can capture it all. That can be a lot of data for researchers, and educators to go through. It also brings the concept of privacy with it. Certain data points can be opted out.? Putting student data together can improve education. inBloom was created to balance student data and student privacy through an examination of technology and learning outcomes.?

?Conclusion

Reich tells us to prepare for the next big wave of learning at scale technologies. He leaves us with four useful questions to focus on with educational technologies. 1) What’s new? 2) Who is guiding the learning experience? (Instructor, algorithm, or peers) 3) Pedagogically, is this attempting to fill pails, or kindle flames? And 4) What existing technologies does this adopt? (pg. 233) For educational technologies to truly work, we must also change the system they exist in.?

Evaluation

While I enjoyed reading this book, I will mention the format tends to be confusing. Part I focused on technologies for learning at scale. In Part II we learned about the dilemmas facing those technologies. What I found to be true, was a deep dive into the pros and cons of the learning at scale technologies in both parts. Part I outlined the technologies, but it also talked about the issues with each and became repetitive toward the end. Reich offers many dilemmas when it comes to educational technologies, but very few solutions are shared. To give him the benefit of the doubt, these are difficult dilemmas. In short, I would recommend reading this book. Whether you are a fan of educational technologies, or would rather stick to paper and pencil, this book shows the pros and cons to using technology both in and out of the classroom. Educators are promised a lot when it comes to new technology, but as outlined in these chapters, rarely are the promises delivered on. In Reich’s 2020 Virtual Book Club for this book, he summed up the book perfectly in saying, “where there is beneficial and innovative new practice with education technology, it will disproportionately benefit the affluent.”

Reference

Reich. (2020). Failure to Disrupt: Why Technology Alone Can’t Transform Education. Harvard?University Press.