I'm all for technology, but...

[ladyapple27]

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/mar/18/powerful-touch/

Ther is no doubt that students will need tech skills to survive in the job market, but I believe that we're too quick to buy the latest gadget without thinking things through. I actually like the SMART boards. However, I can't see buying the SMART tables. There are other ways to engage children in learning and to promote teamwork. At $7,000 each, enough SMART tables for 20 classrooms would cost $140,000. At $8,000 each, enough boards for 20 classrooms would cost $160,000. For that kind of money, you could hire several more teachers and buy some supplies for group activities.

In these rough economic times, we need to make intelligent decisions about our education dollars. At a time when teaching positions are being cut due to lack of funds, how can we justify spending big bucks on the latest tech toys? A good teacher can make a world of difference in a child's life, and most children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, respond well to more attention from teachers.

Besides, I've yet to see a tech toy that addresses the problem of a lack of basic skills or the wasteful practice of constant testing and teaching to the test.   

Comments

I agree with you (and I brought my reasons with me).

[rhodielady-47.livejournal.com]

Although I'm not familiar with either the Smart boards or the Smart tables you're talking about, I did spend a lot of time back in the 90's helping wire schools up for the internet.

I can tell you from experience that any high-tech appliance you put in the classroom will generate more expenses than just the cost of buying them.

For the sake of example, computers coming into the classrooms also generated these costs:
Software and lots of accessories.
Higher electricity bills.
Teacher training in their use.
Classroom and building modification to allow the appliances into the classrooms which may include: higher voltage electrical wiring to be installed and special furniture/lights/security systems/etc. and these will have to go wherever the appliances go.
Each school system will have to have repair/maintenance/tech support (and that never comes cheap.)
Most tech appliances age and become obsolete RAPIDLY.
Most school systems only want to buy what's cheapest and then use what they've bought until it's completely worn slap out and then they nurse it along another five years or so.
[Usually they get embarrassed into abandoning the old equipment by irate parents. My Hubby remembers taking telephone usage classes back in first grade--in the 60's!]
----------------------------
Another question to be thought about:
The average school day is racked, packed, and stacked with stuff the kids and teachers absolutely MUST get done. What do you think should be cut to make room for this new tech appliance?
Now remember schools cut music and art out to make room for computer classes and that went over like a lead balloon. Many schools are also catching heat for having done away with P.E. and switching to the cheapest textbooks they can find.
:(

[scoobiedoggie.livejournal.com]

They are upgrading all the schools in our district (a project that is LONG overdue) and SMART boards are included in this upgrade. Their reason for this is funding but in a different way then you are looking at it....The supplies they will save (chalk, paper, etc) because of this tech will pay for the SMART boards in 5 years in most schools. Not to mention the paper alone it saves has an amazing effect on the environment, which is a big issue around these parts. :)

[ladyapple27.livejournal.com]

Check out rhodielady's comments on this issue. The upfront costs of technology are just the tip of the iceburg. You have to have tech support, upgrades, renovations to buildings,etc. Did you know that those big screens on the SMART boards use more electricity that your water heater at home?

My issue isn't with the SMART boards. I think that the Smart tables are going too far. In these times, I think that money is better spent on teacher salaries than tech toys. You can do without a SMART table, but not without teachers.

You are sadly mistaken about technology's effect on the environment. I worked in tech manufacturing, and I know what I'm talking about. It's a very dirty industry. Dangerous chemicals are used in the manufacturing of electronics and electronic support systems. Also, the raw materials have to be mined, etc.

We're up to our necks in discarded electronics, and very little recycling occurs. When electronics are recycled, the process is often dirty and dangerous. Recently, a group of people in India suffered heavy metal poisoning after dismantling computers to get materials to sell to recyclers.

Technology is wonderful and will no doubt make environmentally friendly improvements, but don't believe the fiction that technology is always the most Earth-friendly choice. That's what manufacturers want you to think.

[scoobiedoggie.livejournal.com]

I am not defending them....I am just telling you our districts reasons for the conversion...

btw....we are in a VERY recycling friendly area....Boulder County in Colorado, 3/4 of our residents would not let the local district recycle electronics the wrong way. We have programs here that others in the country are using as a model for responsible recycling.

My own little town has just signed up for a home recycling program that includes 1-7 in plastics and community composting...

Also, I have worked in our schools (as a parent and as a volunteer instructor) here for many years....they already have all those costs of technology that was mentioned....We are a very high tech area and all the schools here have very healthy budgets for tech support and software updates.

I think the difference is that our school district has the money to spend because we have fairly high property taxes that we actually voted a raise on to do this upgrade. Now I am not saying it is totally right that with all the underfunded schools in the US that it's exactly fair that our district has the money to do this, but you can not fault the district for making improvements on the schools that the parents in the district voted into action.

[ladyapple27.livejournal.com]

Our school district is raising the money for SMART boards and laptop computers for high school students through grants and donations. I applaud their efforts to make computers available to economically disadvantaged children, but I don't think that tech is going to solve basic problems in the educational system. I'm also alarmed at their plan to make PDAs available to all elementary school students at a time when most of them can't read and write well enough to use them.

I'm glad that your school system is financially well-off, but many districts are not and need to make hard choices. When a choice is made, it's better to retain a teaching position than buy shiny new gadgets. Of course, in a perfect world everyone would shoulder a high tax burden to fund schools. Do you know that some poor districts actually have high tax rates, yet the tax base isn't high enough to generate enough money? You've got to have something to tax.

As I said, I worked in tech manufacturing and can tell you that it's not all that ecofriendly. I've also got experience in recycling, and it isn't as clean as you're led to believe.

[eqfe.livejournal.com]

My twelve year old daughter views the smart board as a teacher's toy that has no value in the classroom.

[ladyapple27.livejournal.com]

Your twelve year old has more sense than some school board members.

[eqfe.livejournal.com]

Generally speaking, we should make certain that students master reading, writing and math before we introduce them to high tech. But I'm a bit of a Luddite anyway.

[ladyapple27.livejournal.com]

You're not a Luddite; you have a valid point. I've worked with people from Africa who were educated in mud huts and had never been exposed to technology and with people who had plenty of access to technology, but had a lack of basic skills. The Africans with basic skills picked up tech skills quickly and did an excellent job. The people with no basic skills were hopeless. This has nothing to do with country of origin; I just wanted to point out that people of modest backgrounds can make it with a good basic education.

[nostalgiafreak.livejournal.com]

Right now the best use I can think of for such tables is using them to play dungeons and dragons. :P

[ladyapple27.livejournal.com]

I never thought of that app.