The $100 laptop closer to reality

[bbj at innismir.net (Ben Jackson)]

On Thu, 29 Sep 2005, Brendan wrote:

> > Educational software is not a bad thing. The problem is that people buy
> > "Education Software 1.0", toss it to the school, and never sit down with
> > the teachers to implement it.
>
> Right, it's all in the implementation. Implementation costs a fortune.
> Mavis Beacon or the equivalent. Yeah, awesome, it works, great.
> "Ethics 2.0", not so much.

Yes. It costs a fortune, but it pays off big. Get a school fully wired and
have a staff that understands the software du jour (Along with gives a
damn about the kids, which I feel is lacking in a visible minority of
teachers), I dare say it would work wonders. (This is an opinion, I could
be way off)

> > My fiancee teaches primary school. They are buying laptops w/ some kind of
> > educational software thing. Now, this is a neutral thing. However, if it
> > just sits there stagnant, or is just used for dog and pony shows, it is a
> > waste. However, there are more then a few teachers are making a concerted
> > effort to learn the software (which, I will admit, can do some pretty
> > intresting things). This is a good thing(tm), and is what is lacking in a
> > lot of markets. It's the same concept as a VP who buys some package to
> > solve all the companies problems, then never trains anyone.
>
> My girlfriend teaches primary as well. She is finding that with tech
> purchases, they have less money in the budget for hiring teachers.
> Shocking...So, they get more kids with less pre-existing knowledge, more
> temper-tantrums, etc...
>

Agreed. The laptops in question were a seperate fundraiser. While the
geeky side of me likes the idea of Romney handing out laptops, the realist
in me says "Hey, wouldn't that be better spent on more teachers?"

I don't have the answer to that, if I did, I think I would be rich and
living in Tahiti by now.

> > > Remember, all the great achievements in nearly every subject have all
> > > been achieved with actual books teaching actual students. Kepler didn't
> > > have the newest Toshiba. Galileo didn't IM his buddies to tell them about
> > > the bowling ball experiment and Copernicus didn't leave a .doc attachment
> > > saying he wanted to posthumously publish his works.
> >
> > Eh, techology, if treated as a means to an ends, can make a lot of
> > difference. I used my Internet connection to hang out in USENET and learn
> > gobs of information. I dare say I've picked up more coding help from the
> > web then from books. The books or computers are merely a medium, the same
> > information can be gathered from either.
>
> Sure, but how many kids are like that? How many would have learned a similar
> skill via a book or a teacher that that tech purchase precluded from
> occurring?

At the same time, if you spend money on the teachers, the children like I
was (I disliked a good majority of their teachers, still do) will end up
left to their own devices. Sadly, I don't know if the anti-socialites like
myself are a larger majority, and in this case the minority will lose.

> > This is very difficult to do. This is another discussion for another time.
> > Remember, lawmakers have about as much clue as education as they do about
> > technology, and look at the laws they pass for tech. (Simply put, the same
> > boneheadedness in the DMCA is also prevelant in the MCAS tests).
>
> Oh, heck yeah. It's linked into a dozen other issues, but money and teachers
> are still (I believe) the solution. Throwing tech in without any solid plan
> is tantamount to throwing in a teacher without training.

Indeed.

>
> > To be honest, right after the whole "How cool" thought passed through my
> > head, the next thing that popped into my head was "Who's going to SUPPORT
> > these damn things? I could make a killing!". I hope this doesn't make me
> > evil. I enjoy my alignment of chaotic-good. :D
>
> Nah. I had the same thought, but then the third thought was "Jesus, can you
> imagine supporting 200 kids?" No thanks. I will get my 100 an hour sitting in
> an office, chatting via IM about Reese Witherspoon's shoes, thank you very
> much.

Eh, It would be a lot of work, but I think I would do it. It would be crap
pay, but you could have a positive effect on a lot of lives. Heck, I could
round up a bunch of PFYs and mold them into bitter, surly BOFHs. It would
be beautiful.

					~Ben