Yes, that's what the laptops were trying to do; that is the problem they were trying to solve. Imagine that -- a school, trying to use technology to prepare kids for life *beyond* school. Kids in school now will have jobs that haven't been invented yet, using technology that we haven't seen/can't imagine yet. They need to learn using technology, period. Does it have to be laptops? No, but it's a convenience sometimes in a school (most high schools, for example) where students move from class to class, often in different buildings or sometimes blocks away, and where they might not have technology at home.
Unfortunately it's obvious here (at least to me) that the problem was not the laptops. The problem was the teachers, admin, and any other support or technical staff (as a whole). Technology is just a tool, as was said here previously. It's *not* like a TV, or a game console. It's a tool you use to get things done. Other examples of tools that we give our students -- OH, and that we TEACH them how to use -- so that they are successful in the world beyond graduation include things like pencils, pens, paper, calculators, binders, and increasingly more this includes things like books, digital cameras, musical instruments, and now perhaps laptops.
My guess (it's just a guess) is that part of this problem stems from the fact that the teachers themselves do not know how to use the technology, so how the heck can you train a teenager to USE the technology to be a critical thinker, an inquirer, and a problem solver? Our schools are out of date, and it's really very sad. The students who will succeed are the ones who have just a bit more drive than the "average" and who have access to technology outside of school. They will be the innovative ones who get those jobs that haven't been invented yet.
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Yes, that's what the laptops were trying to do; that is the problem they were trying to solve. Imagine that -- a school, trying to use technology to prepare kids for life *beyond* school. Kids in school now will have jobs that haven't been invented yet, using technology that we haven't seen/can't imagine yet. They need to learn using technology, period. Does it have to be laptops? No, but it's a convenience sometimes in a school (most high schools, for example) where students move from class to class, often in different buildings or sometimes blocks away, and where they might not have technology at home. Unfortunately it's obvious here (at least to me) that the problem was not the laptops. The problem was the teachers, admin, and any other support or technical staff (as a whole). Technology is just a tool, as was said here previously. It's *not* like a TV, or a game console. It's a tool you use to get things done. Other examples of tools that we give our students -- OH, and that we TEACH them how to use -- so that they are successful in the world beyond graduation include things like pencils, pens, paper, calculators, binders, and increasingly more this includes things like books, digital cameras, musical instruments, and now perhaps laptops. My guess (it's just a guess) is that part of this problem stems from the fact that the teachers themselves do not know how to use the technology, so how the heck can you train a teenager to USE the technology to be a critical thinker, an inquirer, and a problem solver? Our schools are out of date, and it's really very sad. The students who will succeed are the ones who have just a bit more drive than the "average" and who have access to technology outside of school. They will be the innovative ones who get those jobs that haven't been invented yet.