Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Partnership for 21st Century Skills.
I found the website Partnership for 21st Century Skills very interesting. I believe that until businesses take control of who they are hiring change will not take place in the educational system. It is definitely a step in the right direction, a group of major players in the business and technology world banning together to create the worker they would like to hire. With that being said the biggest problem is still the lack of monetary resources at the disposal of the educators to create the so called "real world" educational environment. I teach in a computer lab that has not been updated in over 6 years. How real world is that? No new software or hardware for 6 years. If a company dared to save money this way they would be out of business. Just like in politics the place the money comes from has the biggest say and these companies spend billions on buy-outs and mergers every year but the giving to create a stable economic system in the schools is very limited. Almost full power is expected before their business is willing to donate. If they want this change to really take place it will have to be done with money first.
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I agree that lack of monetary resources for updating and providing technology to schools is a critical problem. After hearing that your computer lab has had no updates in over 6 years, I feel very fortunate to have the technology that I do in my classroom. I have four working computers and monitors for students and I have a "teacher" computer which is the same as the student ones but I receieve a flat screen monitor over Christmas break as did all of the teachers in the building. I am not sure how old our computers are but nearly every teacher now has a Mimio or SmartBoard in their classroom. However, we were told a couple of weeks ago that we are now on a "technology freeze" and that is in addition to our "instructional supply freeze." We cannot help our students progress in the world of technology if we cannot supply them with opportunity to use technology. Do you have mobile labs for students? We currently share 3 labs for the 6-12 building. The labs contain 16 laptops. While this is great, my largest class has 36 students. This creates quite a problem unless they are working in groups. I think the website is quite interesting, but until there are changes to school funding, I do not feel that there will be great progress made by students in the field of technology.
ReplyDeleteI agree.
ReplyDeleteThe idea is fantastic, and the work being done by the Partnership is commendable, but the reality a lot of schools face is another one. Am I right to assume that a lot of schools in the U.S. get their computers via donations from other organizations or from private businesses? Once that windfall of new computers comes in, with the way that technology is so fast-moving, what kind of useful life do they have? A couple of years at most? I also work in a place where we have a few computer labs, but the equipment is so outdated and obsolete. Plus, in order to use the computer labs, you have to get on a waiting list, which is booked solid for a months in advance. I have given up on trying to use the labs for my classes, and if I have a plan for my students to find resources on the net or do work on computers, I just ask them to bring their laptops from home, which a majority of them have.
I hear ya! Isn't it amazing that the big name partners haven't impacted all of us in a way that exposes us to more technology? I realize that sure, here or there, schools are benefiting from these companies, but this is a global issue and one that clearly just shows how much we are lacking.
ReplyDeleteWe have no mobile labs but are working to add multimedai projectors and Mimio boards in every room by the end of the year. Our school is doing our best but not "reald world" in the least. If "they" want students trained and ready then "they" need to pitch in.
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