The $100 laptop closer to reality

[Ronny Serrano]

I almost feel that this should be moved to slash dot to continue the
conversation

-----Original Message-----
From: discuss-bounces at blu.org [mailto:discuss-bounces at blu.org] On Behalf
Of Ben Jackson
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2005 12:42 PM
To: discuss at blu.org
Subject: Re: The $100 laptop closer to reality


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
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