Posted on 07/08/2011 12:09:47 PM PDT by KyGeezer
It’s been in the works for over a year, but the technology plan tailored by Owensboro Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Larry Vick is nearing a major milestone, with more than 150 teachers and more than 2,200 students slated to receive laptops that will make critical learning possible.
When first proposed by Vick, the $5 million plan called not only for the purchase and use of technology by teachers and students, but a complete rethinking of how education happens. About $3.3 million in stimulus funds went to help create a new digital curriculum and then train faculty and staff on how to most effectively use technology to benefit students.
Vick said the reason behind all this is to prepare students for the wave of the future. Technology is an ever-expanding part of business and commerce in today’s world, Vick said. Teaching students how to make good use of technology prepares them for that and boosts their chances of success.
” 150 teachers and more than 2,200 students slated to receive laptops that will make critical learning possible.
When first proposed by Vick, the $5 million plan called not only for the purchase and use of technology by teachers and students, but a complete rethinking of how education happens “
Maybe they can use those ‘free’ (@ roughly $2100 each) laptops to look up the word - “BOONDOGGLE”...
LOL!
If kids can’t learn from old fashioned BOOKS what makes you think they’ll learn from laptops?
All this is, is anther EXCUSE for kids NOT learning and if they do learn anything it’s slop. Also it RAISES the COST of “learning”. Since when should the GOVERNMENT be buying laptops for kids?
So will they NOW teach them Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic...... or are these computers just for homo-sex instruction?
I’ve taught in a public school where each student had a laptop. Trust me when I say that laptops had no measurable effect on learning.
In 5 years, not once did the school district ever provide any data to support the idea that kids were learning more or better because of laptops.
Apple, the provider of the laptops, was thrilled, though.
Expensive toys, especially because they cost about 2X what Windows machines run.
” 150 teachers and more than 2,200 students slated to receive laptops that will make critical learning possible.”
I forgot they had laptops 10,000 years ago—making critical learning possible...
Sister Edward Mary and Father Spink managed to teach me many things..... and all they used was a wooden yardstick. ;>)
I don’t even know how people learned math before they invented the calculator < / sarc >
” making critical learning possible... “
I’m not current on my ‘edu-speak’, but I surmise that “critical learning” isn’t quite the same thing as “critical thinking”.....
Sure would like to see a quantified definition of “critical learning” compared to the 3R’s.
I could never figure out why schools would buy Apple computers for the students when the high-90% of industry uses PC-compatible computers. Isn’t the idea supposed to be to get them ready for the working world. This puts them at a disadvantage when they look for a job knowing Apple rather than PC.
I KNOW...I KNOW...the Apple faithful will remind me that Apple is far superior in many aspects to the PC Compatibles (or at least they once were...I’m not as sure of that anymore)
It’s like I always advize kids when they aspire to be good at a sport. I always tell them to play with and handle ONLY a regulation football, basketball or baseball because everytime you play with something other than what you’ll be using in your sport, you stunt your growth in that sport even if it’s only for a few minutes.
Same with computers. I believe that rather than an advantage, this will put them at a disadvantage when they get out into the real world.
When this sort of insanity percolates down to places like Ownesboro, Kentucky, you really have to start to fear for the future of the Republic.
Jeez, this whole education thing is a scam. The need laptops to learn how to use them? They need to teach what the students need to develope them not use them.
I’m not familiar with the specifics, but I would assume based on their success in education that Apple has a very good sales force. Whether their techniques are 100% ethically above board is anybody’s guess. Do you see a lot of your school board members and administrators buzzing around with iPods, iPads, Mac Airbooks, etc?
This is how you get MacBook laptops that have cameras used to spy on kids (and their families) at home, as happened recently when they caught a kid eating “Mikes and Ikes,” then accused him of taking drugs.
2100 dollars per laptop. That’s apple style for you.
Here I am typing on my surplus Dell that cost me 200 bucks.
I could have supplied the entire school for a tenth of the cost.
I feel so stupid for using my own money for stuff.
“I’m not current on my ‘edu-speak’, but I surmise that “critical learning” isn’t quite the same thing as “critical thinking”.....”
Probably Orwellian new-speak for “indoctrination”.
Soon there will be crack dealers on a corner near you with great deals on laptops....in 3...2...
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