Where Educational Technology Fails: A seventh-grader's perspective

Engagement vs Boredom in Learning

• Several commenters argue curriculum should be intrinsically engaging and connected to the real world (e.g., unpacking how phones, games, and modern tech actually work).
• Others counter that even the most interesting fields are 90% “boring” work; school’s core job is partly to build tolerance for boredom and persistence.
• There’s pushback against accepting boredom as inevitable or virtuous; some see this as defeatist and believe everyone can find motivating personal goals if given freedom and variety.

Fun, Motivation, and Types of Fun

• Debate over whether learning should be “Type 1 fun” (immediately pleasurable) or “Type 2 fun” (hard but rewarding after the fact).
• Some insist “learning is fun” by nature, and school damages that; others say most deep learning requires slog and delayed gratification.
• Distinction raised between “learning is fun” and “all fun is learning”: passive entertainment can crowd out effortful learning even if the latter could be enjoyable.

Discipline, Development, and Autonomy

• Tension between giving kids large freedom (even from age ~10) to discover their own goals vs. preparing most people for basic participation in society.
• Many stress teaching self‑discipline, especially in teen years, often citing sports as a good training ground.
• Others warn that “adult discipline” imposed too early can damage creativity, play, and mental health; adulthood and brain maturity are seen as gradual and culturally defined.

Technology in School: Tool vs Distraction

• Strong skepticism that “ed tech” (Chromebooks, SaaS platforms, smartboards) improves learning; some see it mainly as a vendor-driven money sink.
• Multiple teachers and parents report screens worsening focus, cheating, and reading issues; some moved children to low‑tech schools with better outcomes.
• A minority emphasize genuine benefits: CS classes, easier submission/review, access to online explanations (e.g., videos) especially for poorer students.

Blocking, Censorship, and Games

• DNS/site blocking is widely seen as futile; students routinely bypass it to play games like Roblox.
• Some advocate strict removal of phones/games during class; others argue the real solution is to make learning more compelling than distractions.
• Concern that calling internet censorship “educational technology” is itself revealing of misplaced priorities.

Curriculum, Testing, and Methods

• Calls for explicitly teaching memorization and learning techniques (mnemonics, flashcards) in early grades.
• References to classical “grammar-stage” education focused on facts, but augmented with modern learning-how-to-learn skills.
• Critiques of online multiple‑choice testing: encourages cheating, reduces feedback quality, and replaces deeper written responses; others point to more project-based assessment as a countertrend.