Dear Colleagues,
I started teaching over twenty years ago, and since then, both as a teacher and a parent, I have seen many projects come and go. I'm sure I'm not alone in this ;)
Some projects were baked to perfection, some were so burnt that they were indigestible, while others, sadly, were quite half-baked. I have no doubt that they were all proposed and implemented with the best of intentions, and I mean this most sincerely.
I recently read an article (I'll include the link below) by Judy Siegel-Itzkovich in the JP about proposed plans for 'school computerization'. Meir Shitrit, Knesset Science and Technology Committee chairman, is quoted as saying "Parents spend hundreds of shekels annually per pupil on buying schoolbooks, when an inexpensive laptop can be bought and used to download all the books from the Internet." The article then goes on to say that there will be an investment of a billion shekels to buy a new computer for each pupil.
Later on, Gila Ben Har predicted that "parents will pay half the cost of a digital book and will be able to purchase a laptop in easy installments for their children" - which slightly contradicts what MK Shitrit said, but never mind. First of all, if parents are expected to pay for the laptops in easy installments, I can already see the difficulties. At our school, there are many families who cannot afford to pay the regular school fees, never mind intsallments for laptops. Secondly, whether these laptops are supplied by the Ministry of Education or bought by parents, the problems are numerous. Our school buys books and lends them to students. No matter how hard we try to keep those books in good shape, there are always books which arrive back at the library in a very sorry state. There also those that disappear into thin air, and I understand that it is difficult to get parents to pay for their replacement. What will happen when a student breaks, drops or loses his laptop? Will the ministry repair or replace it? If not, I can't see parents doing this. Thirdly, let's assume students come with their laptops. I'm no computer expert, but if hundreds of students use the Internet at the same time, is is possible that this would put a strain on the infrastructure at some point along the line? Our school has one technician - I'm sure he'd be driven crazy in a very short space of time by requests from teachers and students to fix various problems. Finally, I have worked with students using the Internet in our computer room on several occasions and every time I have caught some 'poor lost soul' who found his or her way into Facebook (or worse!) during the lesson. Imagine being in a class with forty students with their noses deep in their laptops. How much work do you think would really be done?
I also wonder how Ms Ben Har arrived at the conclusion that parents will pay half the cost of a digital book. Assuming that she means that digital books will cost half the price of a regular book (the phrasing is ambiguous in the article), I can't help comparing this to Kindle prices which are not so very much cheaper than regular books.
The article informs us that the ministry "will soon issue a directive to all curriculum developers that their work must be produced as digital as well as printed product". If every student has a laptop, etc., etc., then why do we need printed product? I hope it is not because they foresee problems in certain parts of the country (often referred to as "the periphery")...
It is very easy to stand on the sidelines and criticise, and that is not my intention. While not being a computer wizard, I would hope that I am not totally Neanderthal either. I personally like to teach from a book. I am aware of the need to use computers in school, and of the fact that they can complement books perfectly, but do we need to decide that every subject that is taught in school has to go over to complete computerization? I think that as far as English is concerned, the computer is a great tool. If there's so much money 'up for grabs', why not invest it in Interactive White Boards? At the moment, our school has one which is used only for designated classes. I would love to learn more about them. If we use IWBs, this will allow us to have each student focused on the same thing rather than each student working from his own laptop. My guess is that it would be more communicative, and less expensive.
I thought very carefully before writing this mail since, as I've already said, I'm not a computer expert, and it is possible that I have totally misinterpreted some points. If so, I'm sure someone will put me right. However, if there is something in what I say, it seems to me to be a (very expensive) recipe for disaster...
Andrew Wilson
Link for the article: http://www.jpost.com/
I Think you brought up many valid points. It's a problematic scenario.
ReplyDeleteI have a pupil who is allowed to use a laptop in class. He keeps having trouble with it and doesn't always use it. He also forgets to bring it. In addition, the pupil often has to sit next to the wall because he needs the electrical outlet. We don't have wi-fi so the Internet isn't a benefit...
You also may want to check out the latest Net Day survey results which was just presented to Congress in the USA this month @ http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/speakup_congress.html
ReplyDeleteThe results said that 60% of parents would be willing to pay for mobile smart phones and a wireless package to provide their kids with a phone to use for academic purposes.
Yes, the possibilities come fraught with problems, but it's also the only place according to the report that the digital divide has disappeared between rich and poor. However, it is creating a larger digital divide between educators and students.
It will be interesting to see what Congress does with the info (probably nothing). But I don't see why telecomm companies aren't jumping on offering packages to school districts that would provide smart phones to every student through their parents package. Think of the revenue for them...
As for students using the computer for other than school work, that's a problem I face on a daily basis as a computer education teacher now. I'm trying to teach them to use the computer for work, and they keep slipping to playing games or checking out tennis shoes on the web. I have ways of controlling their computer, but I go back and forth with wondering why I bother. Isn't that a lesson we all have to learn as learners.... to focus on the task at hand despite the distractions out there? For example, I'm supposed to be working on a dissertation right now, but I was drawn to write here,.... sigh... But anyhow, where better to practice that focus than in a school setting on daily basis with teachers guiding them. It means our roles as teachers will change drastically..
Oh well... back to that research..
Cybrscrybe (aka Barb Boksz)
It's also very unhealthy to have so many people using wireless internet in a small classroom, all day, at the same time.
ReplyDeleteThere was a school who tried in in the US, and within a year five of their teachers and at least twenty students came down with cancer, IIRC.
its very good for us, thanks for update.
ReplyDeletehttp://laptopinkarachi.blogspot.com/