Technological Devices For All

Dear Schools, 

Buy Each Student a Laptop, please.  

Sincerely, 

An Eager Teacher with a few ideas

This article states that technology has slowly made its way into schools.  There are computer labs and a few in each classroom.  To make technological advances in education, each student needs more.  

I did find it interesting when the article claimed that the days of handwriting is done.  As a left handed person with terrible handwriting, I rejoiced.  I can type very fast and accurate, thanks to my high school typing class that incorporated Cortez Peters audio tapes.  Yes, I said typewriters and tapes. I hope that doesn't age me, I graduate in 2000.  At least the typewriters were electronic.  Back to the article, student work showed an improvement in their writing when it was typed.  Students were more apt to make their writing longer as well as included more details.  That should be enough conviction to teach the proper technique...and give every student a laptop. 

This article goes discusses teachers teaching the same concepts, but with technology they are able to make learning interesting.  Using simulation websites to help students learn concepts is an intriguing way to keep students interested.  There are several links listed in this article.

Progress with technology would be giving each student a laptop or an IPad.  Wouldn’t that be nice for our students?  Think of all that could be done.  For example, they could record a science experiment and post it online.  They could watch their peers with their experiments and compare/contrast.  The article goes on to discuss how administrators typically see the negatives with technology.  They make rules to ban cell phones or websites that students could use to enhance their learning.  The article calls it “one-to-one” (Prensky).  Each student needs a computer and the prices have dramatically decreased, so cost should not be holding schools back.

This is not an easy task, but it needs to be done.  We need professional development that provides teachers with the opportunity how to use technology to their advantage.  Most importantly, teachers need to be held accountable.  It isn’t easy to teach to teach an old dog new tricks; some are just comfortable having students read from a text book instead of experiencing something more interactive.  Oh yeah, and money.  

Here is Prensky's article - Shaping Tech for the Classroom | Edutopia

What are some other ideas or benefits for the classroom?