A small blurb on private school

I couldn’t have said this better myself,

Whatever you think your children need—deserve—from their school experience, assume that the parents at the nearby public housing complex want the same. No, don’t just assume it. Do something about it. Send your kids to school with their kids. Use the energy you have otherwise directed at fighting to get your daughter a slot at the competitive private school to fight for more computers at the public school. Use your connections to power and money and innovation to make your local school—the one you are now sending your child to—better. Don’t just acknowledge your liberal guilt—listen to it.

We are all in the same boat whether we recognize it or not.

30 million in iPads for LA School district

I am not a fan of this. But perhaps there is something that I do not understand about it.
Full Article

The district is paying $678 per device — higher than tablets available in stores — but the computers will be preloaded with educational software. The price does not include a wireless keyboard, which may be necessary for older students.

I am perhaps looking at the glass half full, but with the students being able to take the machines home, the possibility for them to be stolen or broken seems to be high, especially in the underpriviledged neighborhoods they are supposed to be serving.
I also can’t help but think, “Couldn’t they have bough at least 6 brand new text books(or perhaps have funded open source text books for every student? and then bought something more economical and flexible such as kiosks and monitors for a 3rd of the price)?.
Even if you are going to go with tablets, is there not a more economical way to go that will prevent lock in?
How many adults have dropped their ipads and made them inoperable, and we are talking about children here… if they break, or lose the 3 free replacements (we are talking about kids) then are they then unable to participate? You can share books, but can you realistically share an ipad?
I understand that the world is moving towards something more electronic, but with the money crunch that education is always in, wouldn’t something more durable, and affordable be in order? Is there not a better way to reduce the technology gap in these children’s lives (a more technolgy based curriculum such as programming and development)? Books are not sexy anymore, but the reality is that they don’t require electricity or apps.

Race to Nowhere: Open Discussion on Education

race

A colleague of mine sent me the following link Race to Nowhere Trailer to watch the trailer for the documentary “Race to Nowhere”. While watching the trailer, I saw some issues that have come up in recent discourse with higher education and K-12 professionals regarding pressures placed on K-12 and especially 7th-12th grade students by the government and colleges to be a “near perfect” student in order to succeed in an education system that is broken and yields very little promises for a successful future upon completing college….Though I have been discussing and debating my beliefs and thoughts regarding these issues frequently for the last couple of years, I wanted to put this out there to see what others think…

Is our education system in the country truly broken? If so, why? If not, why not? Is the federal or state government responsible for the improvements? What part does higher education (colleges) play? If you have some thoughts, please share….

 

An all Ipad classroom

One of my questions about this is why does it always seem like a good idea when it comes to technology? I think its especially true when it comes to Apple products. They like to market themselves much like coke, as an itegral part of ones happiness and all good times. The commericals for the current ipad make it seem like you if you don’t use apple products then you don’t love your family or that with an iphone you have unlimted power to control the universe. Neither of which are true. One is a big phone that doesn’t make calls, the other is small phone. But let me get off that soapbox and get to this:

Apple hopes its foray into digital textbooks for the iPad will impress educators and corner a huge, lucrative K-12 book market. But the high costs of the plan and the challenges of mobile technology could ensure that hardback books remain a classroom mainstay.

Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/03/11/2431762/a-move-toward-an-all-ipad-classroom.html#storylink=mirelated#storylink=cpy

My issue with this is that the underlying costs are actually greater. They don’t actually let kids take home books right now, but books are great because they are durable, long lasting with normal usage and they don’t require electricity and it hard to break a book. Ipads require mainaintence, a delicate touch and electricity. The discounted rate for an iPad is hardly a discount, and a school could get two computers for the price of one iPad (which makes perfect sense because no school in their right minds would allow a rented or purchased iPad to go home with the a child).
In summary I am against iPads in the classroom mostly because its financially irresponsible when the information that you need to teach is readily available in a more durable and cost efficient form. The encouragement of needless electronic proliferation because educators want to cater to students is an act of appeasement, and that never works.