Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Supply computers to all students?
Schools must decide whether it is a worthwhile investment to supply a computer for every student. Enabling each student to have his or her own computer is an interesting idea because it enhances students media literacy. Using computers to teach and to learn is one way to adapt to the needs of today's students. However, computers are still expensive, and supplying a computer for every single student within a school building would be an expense that few schools could absorb. Additionally, many students view computers as a way to relax and have fun, so having computers in the classroom could be a potential distraction from learning. In closing, computers are necessary to education in the current era, but supplying a computer for every student is unattainable for most schools in the current economy.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Simply providing a computer is no guarantee of "media literacy." Students must know how to properly search (information literacy) and in order to gain "media literacy," they must also know how to apply critical thinking/viewing skills to whatever medium they encounter. The problem is: they believe everything they see, read or hear. They are, for the most part, media ILLITERATE.
ReplyDeleteSome schools are looking at ways to make the cost of one-to-one computers feasible. With 24/7 access to the Internet, are textbooks necessary? Not buying textbooks would save a lot of money. Do the one-to-one computers have to be the fastest and best? Could they be netbooks (less costly) with higher-end stations available at school? Can we go paperless in our classrooms and in school management? That would save many bucks now spent on paper and ink.
ReplyDeleteI agree matt. I think that the money that would buy computers could go to something better. It is also so true that computers can be a distraction in the classroom, and what teacher needs more distractions? I think it is great idea to use computers as a resource, but every child does not need one.
ReplyDelete