Traditional classrooms are an unnecessary taxpayer expense. If a district pays $7,000 a year to educate a student (low figure), a laptop comes out to be less than 5% of that cost (assuming a 4-year life), where teachers come out to be around 80% of that cost. By giving students a very powerful tool and using it well, you can cut down the number of teachers needed per student, save money, and get a better education.
But hey, let's keep doing things the same way our previous generation did, the world may change, but let's not change education, that wouldn't make any sense? Pencils are luxury devices, the people who invented those got by just fine using quills and inkwells. They learned fine using quills and inkwells, never mind that the pencil allowed them to get a lot more work done in less time and fix their errors. Sure, the computer is a huge step forward from a pen and pencil, which is even more of a reason to use that tool.
As for luxury, that's a bit exorbitant of a descriptor, these are the most economical laptops we can buy, including total cost of ownership in terms of hardware, software, and licensing that gives us the most features with least hassle.
(BTW, I didn't know exactly how to spell exorbitant, with a pencil, I'd have just used a different word, but on a computer I was able to double-check the spelling, insure it was the correct word, and use it, so the computer as a tool increased my vocabulary, when a pencil wouldn't have, likewise without a computer I couldn't have an engaging conversation and would probably just be playing tic-tac-toe with my pencil.)
I work in a public school district where every student has 24/7 access to a laptop, we are on the sixth year of this project. I have been in public education for 15 years now, six as a classroom teacher (high school math, business, and computer), and nine as a district technology director.
To those who feel there is no need for a computer outside one or two subjects, that's short-sighted. In music students compose their own songs, they record their practice sessions in mp3 files and email them to teachers for a critique, they find good prices on new and used instruments and parts, etc. In foreign language classes they have websites where they can work on one to one language skills, with the computer speakings words for them to help them learn them, they read websites in different languages, they record their practice vocabulary and phrases and email them to the teacher. In English, they create poetry, not only in words, but visually, through pictures, music, movies, and other media. Virtually every class has been transformed, not in what is taught, but how it is taught. It engages the students, it empowers them to take control of their education. Students in our school work harder than they ever did before on projects, enjoying the work, and taking pride in what they do. Not only do they get the "over-stressed" basics of reading, writing, science, math, and social studies, but they work on skills such as creativity, organization, problem-solving, collaboration, prioritizing, etc. Nearly every student is a better student because of the computers. Those that can't physically write well, can usually type much better. Those that are visual learners have tools at their disposal. Instead of forgetting a book at school, their books are always with them on the computer, at a weight of one laptop instead of a stack of six books. The students are better organized, using calendars, reminders, sticky notes, and other applications to help keep their busy lives lined out.
A computer is a very powerful and versatile tool, but it's just that it's a tool. If the current class doesn't require that the students use computers, the teacher asks them to put them away and they do the old fashioned pencil and paper work just like pre-one-to-one days. When the moment strikes that they are needed they are used, when not needed, not used. During school hours, the ONLY thing students can do on the computers are specific assignments for specific classes, or they get in trouble, just like if they mis-used a pencil and were writing notes in class. We use VNC apps to view the students perpetually, the first few weeks they quickly realize that we are "always watching" and setting that standard means the number of mis-uses are very infrequent. When schools come to visit, we proudly bring up every students screen and randomly click on them, watching students, chatting with students, and completely impressing the visiting schools with the quality of work and time on task our students have.
For those that claim it doesn't help with student achievement, that depends on what you measure. If the measure of a student is just math, reading, and science skills, the no, it won't make that black and white difference. If the measure of a student is being organized, creative, self-sufficient, engaged, motivated, excited, collaborative, self-discovering, and able to pursue individual areas of interest, then it is a black and white difference. In a district where 60% of our students qualify for free and reduced lunch, we have a higher percentage of students attending and succeeding as college level classes and their high school classes, the average grade for all students is going up, the well-rounded education they are getting is better than ever before, and we have less discipline problems, better attendance, and lower drop-outs. We have also found that our math, reading, and science test scores are slightly better, but that was never the point of the computer, it's an essential tool for learning, a tool that is used in nearl
If people who "tend to be wealthy, sophisticated, highly educated and disproportionately interested in business and finance," who "scored terribly in the areas of altruism and kindness." Are defined as "selfish elites", what does that make people who are:
wealthy, highly educated and disproportionately interested in information and technology, who score terribly in areas of altruism and kindness?
Slashdoters?
If find it ironic how a description that describes iPad users is so very close to a description that describes many of the people on these forums. Of course the definition of wealthy may be in question, at the base level if it's greater than average income, it fits so many of us.
Let's get away from bashing people (iPad owners) and back to the reason I love to lurk Slashdot, which is good intellectual (as unbiased as possible) discussion on nerdy topics that I otherwise can't share with my colleagues. (Who possibly categorize me as a selfish elite.)/sigh
Slashdot Mirror
Traditional classrooms are an unnecessary taxpayer expense. If a district pays $7,000 a year to educate a student (low figure), a laptop comes out to be less than 5% of that cost (assuming a 4-year life), where teachers come out to be around 80% of that cost. By giving students a very powerful tool and using it well, you can cut down the number of teachers needed per student, save money, and get a better education.
But hey, let's keep doing things the same way our previous generation did, the world may change, but let's not change education, that wouldn't make any sense? Pencils are luxury devices, the people who invented those got by just fine using quills and inkwells. They learned fine using quills and inkwells, never mind that the pencil allowed them to get a lot more work done in less time and fix their errors. Sure, the computer is a huge step forward from a pen and pencil, which is even more of a reason to use that tool.
As for luxury, that's a bit exorbitant of a descriptor, these are the most economical laptops we can buy, including total cost of ownership in terms of hardware, software, and licensing that gives us the most features with least hassle.
(BTW, I didn't know exactly how to spell exorbitant, with a pencil, I'd have just used a different word, but on a computer I was able to double-check the spelling, insure it was the correct word, and use it, so the computer as a tool increased my vocabulary, when a pencil wouldn't have, likewise without a computer I couldn't have an engaging conversation and would probably just be playing tic-tac-toe with my pencil.)
I work in a public school district where every student has 24/7 access to a laptop, we are on the sixth year of this project. I have been in public education for 15 years now, six as a classroom teacher (high school math, business, and computer), and nine as a district technology director.
To those who feel there is no need for a computer outside one or two subjects, that's short-sighted. In music students compose their own songs, they record their practice sessions in mp3 files and email them to teachers for a critique, they find good prices on new and used instruments and parts, etc. In foreign language classes they have websites where they can work on one to one language skills, with the computer speakings words for them to help them learn them, they read websites in different languages, they record their practice vocabulary and phrases and email them to the teacher. In English, they create poetry, not only in words, but visually, through pictures, music, movies, and other media. Virtually every class has been transformed, not in what is taught, but how it is taught. It engages the students, it empowers them to take control of their education. Students in our school work harder than they ever did before on projects, enjoying the work, and taking pride in what they do. Not only do they get the "over-stressed" basics of reading, writing, science, math, and social studies, but they work on skills such as creativity, organization, problem-solving, collaboration, prioritizing, etc. Nearly every student is a better student because of the computers. Those that can't physically write well, can usually type much better. Those that are visual learners have tools at their disposal. Instead of forgetting a book at school, their books are always with them on the computer, at a weight of one laptop instead of a stack of six books. The students are better organized, using calendars, reminders, sticky notes, and other applications to help keep their busy lives lined out.
A computer is a very powerful and versatile tool, but it's just that it's a tool. If the current class doesn't require that the students use computers, the teacher asks them to put them away and they do the old fashioned pencil and paper work just like pre-one-to-one days. When the moment strikes that they are needed they are used, when not needed, not used. During school hours, the ONLY thing students can do on the computers are specific assignments for specific classes, or they get in trouble, just like if they mis-used a pencil and were writing notes in class. We use VNC apps to view the students perpetually, the first few weeks they quickly realize that we are "always watching" and setting that standard means the number of mis-uses are very infrequent. When schools come to visit, we proudly bring up every students screen and randomly click on them, watching students, chatting with students, and completely impressing the visiting schools with the quality of work and time on task our students have.
For those that claim it doesn't help with student achievement, that depends on what you measure. If the measure of a student is just math, reading, and science skills, the no, it won't make that black and white difference. If the measure of a student is being organized, creative, self-sufficient, engaged, motivated, excited, collaborative, self-discovering, and able to pursue individual areas of interest, then it is a black and white difference. In a district where 60% of our students qualify for free and reduced lunch, we have a higher percentage of students attending and succeeding as college level classes and their high school classes, the average grade for all students is going up, the well-rounded education they are getting is better than ever before, and we have less discipline problems, better attendance, and lower drop-outs. We have also found that our math, reading, and science test scores are slightly better, but that was never the point of the computer, it's an essential tool for learning, a tool that is used in nearl
If people who "tend to be wealthy, sophisticated, highly educated and disproportionately interested in business and finance," who "scored terribly in the areas of altruism and kindness." Are defined as "selfish elites", what does that make people who are:
wealthy, highly educated and disproportionately interested in information and technology, who score terribly in areas of altruism and kindness?
Slashdoters?
If find it ironic how a description that describes iPad users is so very close to a description that describes many of the people on these forums. Of course the definition of wealthy may be in question, at the base level if it's greater than average income, it fits so many of us.
Let's get away from bashing people (iPad owners) and back to the reason I love to lurk Slashdot, which is good intellectual (as unbiased as possible) discussion on nerdy topics that I otherwise can't share with my colleagues. (Who possibly categorize me as a selfish elite.) /sigh