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.
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Date: 2009-03-20 06:03 pm (UTC)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.