Does anyone else find it odd that the kids that are in the most trouble (drop out, low performance, etc.) have the least access to technology that has been shown to help students? The fact that some teachers are still using projectors with transparencies is a disgrace.
But where should the blame go? Are teachers not making use of the resources available? Are administrators not searching out monies for their schools to use? Or is there just a lack of dollars? Or are these education dollars allocated wrong? Or is it something that I haven't thought of?
I would have to say that the problem lies in all of these, however, the majority I think is in allocation. Some of the onus lies on the Federal Government, as I know that technology funds to MA got zeroed during the Bush Administration. Technology to blow stuff up better is obviously more important than training kids to be productive citizens of the great United States of America. The fact is that the top 10 most in demand jobs didn't exist in 2004, only 6 years ago. Technology is the reason. The rate at which the world around us is changing is staggering. Right now India has more Honors kids than the USA has kids. If the US intends on staying a superpower, every kid needs to be developed as much as they can be, particularly in the fields devoted to technology.
Kids are now growing up surrounded by the Internet and are generally more tech savvy than the "teachers" that stand up in front of a classroom every day. They have been branded "Digital Natives" which is appropriate in my mind. If these Natives aren't allowed to utilize these skills by being exposed to even decently new technology in our schools, then it is quite possible that we are sacrificing tomorrows leaders and the USA's spot as the "Greatest Nation on Earth".
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Them education funding officials is mad crooked.
ReplyDeleteMad crooked.
I agree entirely. I think schools are way underprioritized, and technology especially gets shafted when budgets get cut.
ReplyDeleteThere's also a huge underyling problem with untrained teachers and teachers instructing outside their subject. Math has devolved into memorization, writing programs don't exist, schools are bogged down under Federal regulations and kids have no attention spans!
Have a suggestion to fix said issues Micah?
ReplyDeleteI could go on and on and on about this subject. I am actually fairly certain I should be secretary of education. I'll just say this for now though. In Costa Rica there is no national army and all schooling is free and government funded. I was told a politician there said, "Our soldiers are our teachers and our enemy is ignorance." I think we'd be alot better off following their example education wise. As for fixing the underqualified teacher problem, simple, pay them more, then people with good educations, skills, and talents, will be vying for and even competing for teaching jobs thus making teachers more qualified and capable.
ReplyDeleteI have been to schools that have tons of money and can not believe the difference between them and lower schools. Some of the schools I have been to are BETTER then my college. The government needs to figure out away to make sure all schools have the same resources.
ReplyDeleteI believe I made my opinion on this known -- more federal standards. More federal funding. A more socialist system in general. Elena's comment about paying teachers more is definitely something I am hugely in favor of.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I also think we're working with a massively bureaucratic system that will be difficult to 'fix' unless we change the fundamental way our government and citizenry views education. We simply don't place the level of importance on it that we should.
The technology thing... That I believe will begin to disappear when baby boomers start retiring in droves. As soon as the 'natives' start coming into power, I don't think that will be an issue anymore. The question is -- how much will that affect us on the world stage before that happens?
I'd say the closest thing to a fix we could attempt is a radical overhaul. A bigger government effort to acquire good, qualified teachers who interact well with students. That means a whole lot more money and a whole lot more incentives for teachers.
ReplyDeleteThe other big factor would be the elimination of teaching to the test. We don't want our students puking up answers, we want them learning the material they're presented with and coming into their own with the abilities of a critical thinker and a logical person. To this end, teachers have to be specialists in their fields of instruction. No more English teachers subbing as math instructors. Get mathematicians.
Schools need money, system streamlining/overhaul and higher prioritization.