"We do have to make sure that there are computers in a computer age inside classrooms and that they work and that there's internets that are actually -- there are Internet connections that actually function. And I think that those states that are going to do well and those countries that do well are the ones that are going to continue to be committed to making education a priority."
The above quote is no different from the average political rhetoric expounded by our government leaders on a daily basis. In fact statements like this have become so bland, that they go unnoticed in mainstream news media. Elevating the standard of education using ITCs is a no brainier ever since information and intellectual abilities became part of our livelihood. In the modern world education and access to education have become so important that statements like these are on par with statements like “Americans need food to survive” and “America needs to increase national security.” No Duh.
Often the only distinction on policies in education and technology is who says them. (As long as you don't say "internets" its ok.) Democrats seems to benefit more from their more widely publicized stance on education, yet Republicans are beginning to steal some of their thunder (Although with the budget crisis and impending need for cut backs the Dems have effectively and unfairly demonized their opponents. Whoops I got political.) Education policy is always a crowd pleaser in speeches and platforms, but takes years to fund, institute and finally measure effectiveness. This makes education policy relatively low on the political agenda before other policies that yield more immediate results. (You know, below things that get done in 4 years. 8 if he’s lucky.)
Besides the good publicity and political support, there are several benefits’ politicians see in using technology for expansionary education policies. Some, such as Obama believe that a better access to technology will lead to a better education system for the under privileged youth of America and will help a grow a prosperous middle class and shorten the income disparity gap. Others like Congresswomen Marsha Black burn R (TN), who I interned with last summer, believe that in order for the next generation to compete in the global markets with the emerging economic behemoths like Japan, China, and India, we must first have a competing education system, that means a technologically advanced curriculum. And lastly others, such as Mitt Romney, prominent front runner in the 2014 presidential race for the Republican Party, believe that expanding education using technology, not just at home but especially abroad, can be an effect way to increase national security and end terrorism. The question is how to rapidly advance education for these purposes while the politicians are preferably still in office, or even just alive. This is where ITCs and the Internet come in.
Last week we learned about how Uruguay had launched a program with the goal of issuing one laptop per child. The goals of the project were to modernize rural parts of the country while giving under privileged students access to education. The project was revolutionary and while like the professor said it will take years to measure its overall impact, its immediate effectiveness seemed to make it a success.
Therefore one has to ask, if it worked in Uruguay, why not try it in the United States? Would issuing one lap top per child in the United States succeed in elevating education and in promoting the three goals mentioned above. And for now let’s just assume that America doesn’t have a 15 trillion dollar debt and we can afford this.
For a while now politicians ranging from county mayors, to the President of the United States and other top US officials have been stating that education standards need to improve. Passing out laptops is an extremely tangible concept when thinking about increasing standards of education by introducing technology. People can see teachers giving power points and kids typing on their laptops. Every kid, provided he has access to the internet now has access to the entire world's knowledge. It’s a pretty powerful thing to think about. Kids in the inter city schools of Memphis now have the same access to the cataloged data as kids in private prep schools.
This certainly levels the playing field but would it increase learning in the inter city? Well it is hard to say for certain but according to a program in Shelby County TN the immediate answer is uncertain.
Shelby County is divided into two school districts, the Memphis City Schools MCS and Shelby County Schools SCS. MCS has a much higher poverty rate than the surrounding county and is allotted 60% of the county’s income revenue for education; SCS gets the other 40%. MCS and its political leaders typically tends to invest in ICTS such as laptops, computer laps, and projectors while SCS not being able to afford ICTS typically spends on increased teacher salary and new text books. To date SCS has a higher graduation rate, higher average ACT, and higher Standardized test scores. While there are numerous numerous immeasurable outliers in this situation it does prove that ICTs can’t always be a quick fix to education systems without qualified teachers and dedicated students. Student guidance is just as important if not more important than passing out ICTs. So maybe ICTs aren’t quite the answer for Obama’s education agenda.
On the other hand I definitely believe that in the future with the global economy it will be extremely important for students to be technologically proficient and literate. When more and more business is conducted over technology's mediums, when more and more graphic art and marketing is being designed on the computers, when most new inventions are intangible computer programs, the importance of the youth of America being familiar with the workings of technology cannot be under estimated. My friend in South Korea is required to take and pass several computer programming and computer science classes. How are American students supposed to compete with such education standards abroad.
In this sense, passing out laptops to all students and mandating that they become computer literate is a very logical way to make sure Americans are competitive in the global market. Marsha Blackburn’s education goal would definitely benefit from a program like the one in Uruguay. However the laptops are issued to the students, not to replace their history books, but to be a medium for them to learn about how to apply technology in the real world, make websites, and write codes.
Romney’s goals for expanding education through the application of technology go even further. As stated in his video, Romney believes that by expanding education and technological resources to hostile counties, America will be able to essentially export democracy by spreading its ideology through technology. Access to education and the internet will enlighten youths and led them away from terrorist organizations and teach them about democracy. Personally I think this is a noble goal, but has too many negative implications. Enemies can spread propaganda online just as easily as America. It could cause a culture shock and further alienate youths that are already unsure about there attitudes towards America. It is also expensive. On the other hand, knowledge is power and in a scenario such as North Korea it is apparent that uncensored access to the internet could drastically improve the country but educating people about the unfair practices of its government.
I think expanding and improving education through the application of ITCs will be an essential part of the future of not just America, but also the world and that it has the flexibility to accomplish a variety of goals.
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