[JoeFromSidney]

“My school is an excellent environment for learning. We are well into the 21st century and have Smart Boards, document cameras, desktops, and laptops available in all classrooms,” the teacher said. “This is an excellent school!”

I attended an excellent school for 12 years. We had none of those things. We did, however, have excellent teachers. They were what made the school excellent. A good teacher can manage with a blackboard and a mimeograph machine. A bad teacher will not be helped by all that technology.

[Bon of Babble]

We had none of those things because our parents would have murdered us.

Whatever the school did to me was far better than facing my dad...

[Black Agnes]

“I attended an excellent school for 12 years. We had none of those things. We did, however, have excellent teachers. They were what made the school excellent. A good teacher can manage with a blackboard and a mimeograph machine. A bad teacher will not be helped by all that technology. “

Heresy!

[prof.h.mandingo]

Absoutly correct. I teach in an alternative school and we have very few resource items. Many are a waste of money. Some are good if used properly.
One problem with all the high tech. is the attitude of the students. They are of the opinion that they have to be “entertained” in order to do their work. I blame the media, some parents and the schools themselves. We got away from rote memorization etc. because it is boring. I'm sorry. Sometimes that is the best way to learn something. I am too old to change and I am lucky that the powers that be leave us alone.
BTW we get results. My students do as well or better than the regular high school students on state tests. And we have the lowest performing students to try to educate.
How do we do it? Old fashioned work and not buying the bull crap that is ladled out to them that they are “stupid” or have a disability. I tell my kids all the time “you are not stupid, you are just lazy.” I guess some places I would get fired but luckily not here.

[prof.h.mandingo]

Absolutely correct. I teach in an alternative school and we have very few resource items. Many are a waste of money. Some are good if used properly.
One problem with all the high tech. is the attitude of the students. They are of the opinion that they have to be “entertained” in order to do their work. I blame the media, some parents and the schools themselves. We got away from rote memorization etc. because it is boring. I'm sorry. Sometimes that is the best way to learn something. I am too old to change and I am lucky that the powers that be leave us alone.
BTW we get results. My students do as well or better than the regular high school students on state tests. And we have the lowest performing students to try to educate.
How do we do it? Old fashioned work and not buying the bull crap that is ladled out to them that they are “stupid” or have a disability. I tell my kids all the time “you are not stupid, you are just lazy.” I guess some places I would get fired but luckily not here.