In January, the School Board adopted a $12.3 million, five-year technology plan, which includes $3 million for the mobile-technology pilot program. A committee of administrators and teachers is looking at using cell phones, iPod Touches and netbooks to start a pilot program in the classroom.So, of course this would be eliminated in the new budget, because we can't afford to maintain our existing schools, correct? Oh no... First up School Board Chairman of Bloat Wyman:
"To say that we won't need these type of technologies in order for these kids to be competitive I think is not correct,"Next up Bloat Member Rajah
Schools would move down a dangerous road if students are not given an opportunity to learn with the emerging technology. "We have to get our kids ready," he said.So a school roof and HVAC system is not important? I know we can pretend we study in virtual classrooms made on our shiny new computers. Those classrooms would be WAAAY cooler than the stinky classrooms we have today. I know why don't we create virtual classrooms and outsource our teachers to India.
Bangalore-based TutorVista, which provides online tutoring to students in about 12 countries, appears to have created a revolution of sorts in the business. It is providing unlimited online tutoring for just $100 per month.
"Americans are getting good-quality, personalized tutoring for their children at a daily cost that amounts to less than what they would spend on a cup of Starbucks coffee," said Krishnan Ganesh, founder and chief executive officer of TutorVista.
But of course there is opposition to affordable education...who could it be?
But there is some opposition to outsourcing education from sections in the US. Teachers' unions, for instance, are opposed to jobs going overseas. They are lobbying for legislation that would make it more difficult for overseas tutors to receive No Child Left Behind funds. There are also questions about the quality of teaching, the impersonal nature of online tutoring, and so on.
So when are we closing some schools and encouraging non-monopolized, free market education? When are we going to innovate away from the K through 12 factory mentality with our children's education? Would it have happened already if not for the entrenched special interests? Shouldn't our children be the smartest in the world because of the system that their parents select to meet their needs; instead of one being handed to them by the special interests? Why are there so many laws, rules, taxes, regulations regarding education? Who is the government protecting, the system with their special interests or the children?
Let's face it, education is a big business in Chesterfield county. The business end does not care about your child, it only cares about its growth and self-preservation. Your child's education would look completely different if it were the other way around. Instead, we have the 1925 model that only socialism loves.
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I think you are off the mark on this... I am disappointed in this blogs attempt to destroy our local school system. The school system does care for our kids and technology is crucial to their success. Instead of destroying what we have further we need to use our time and energy to get in the classroom and help out the situation. Pointing fingers is not helpful at all...
ReplyDeleteThis is from the CCPS mythbusters website...
ReplyDeleteQ. Why is the school division proposing to spend more than $10 million on Netbooks and other technology when we face $40-50 million in budget cuts?
The school division’s Technology Master Plan is NOT funded by the operating budget. It is funded by the Capital Improvements Plan, which CANNOT be used for the operating budget.
The $10-plus million is not being spent in one year; it will be spent over a five-year period.
The school division is legally required to have a technology plan.
The current CCPS plan incorporates (1) the integration of technology in a manner that allows for appropriate use to ensure that meaningful learning takes place for each student; (2) professional development as a critical element for student success as it directly affects what teachers know and are able to do; (3) connectivity of infrastructure, hardware, and software that serve as the backbone of the system that allows integration to occur; (4) evaluation of the technology system for effectiveness.
The proposed technology plan serves as a vehicle to empower all learners to execute the instructional objectives of the school division as defined by the curriculum and the Design for Excellence strategic plan. It is not one department’s plan but a collective initiative to be incorporated into every school’s actions for school improvement. The technology plan sets levels of expectation not only for equipment and infrastructure but also for student learning, instructional delivery and school leadership.
Well thank you for joining the conversation in Chesterfield Anon...
ReplyDeleteSo those big ticket maintenance replacement items that were deferred did not compete for the same $12M. The Taxpayer believes they are.
AND The Taxpayer will apologize for any feelings that are hurt; however, the dialogue is legit and absolutely necessary.
How exactly does a "school system" care? Teachers and principals care about their students. Parents care about their children. In The Taxpayer's experience, I've never met the "school system" and they did not give any empathy to us as we went through the "school system". The problem is the "system" of special interests that do not always line up with the child and their education.
So The Taxpayer is trying to "destroy our local school system". That does not make much sense.
In general, if CCPS has to create a mythbusters dialogue and they don't include the deferred maintenance list, who is The Taxpayer suppose to believe and trust? Certainly not mythbusters.
Gates ES Improvements FY2010 deferred to FY2012
Midlothian MS Improvements FY2010 deferred to FY2012
Watkins ES Improvements FY2011 deferred to FY2013
Midlothian HS Improvements FY2011 deferred to FY2013
Monacan HS Improvements FY2012 deferred to FY2014
Harrowgate ES Improvements FY2012 deferred to FY2014
Enon ES Improvements FY2012 deferred to FY2014
Matoaca ES Improvements FY2012 deferred to FY2014
And how much was closing Perrymont MS going to save? just sayin'...
We sure will have the "best" technology money can buy. The Taxpayer was just taking the conversation to its logical end with the outsourcing of everything except the computer screen.