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The point that I am making is that we have problems. We have problems financing the whole system. Then; we are not he world leader in education. If anything; it looks more like it is a downhill spiral. We have heard from Bill Gates and other corporate leaders that claim they cannot get qualified employees. So; what are we going to do?
You do not throw money at a system that has problems. You fix the system and move on. You learn how to be lean and mean.
Maybe a new class at the highschool/middle school level could be "Help Desk" - where students learn how to troubleshoot and fix (real) computer related problems at school.
Interesting article. But; it leaves out technology, students, parents and taxpayers: "In education as in industry, progress toward quality will require collaboration among administrators, teachers and their unions."
The point that I am making is that we have problems. We have problems financing the whole system. Then; we are not he world leader in education. If anything; it looks more like it is a downhill spiral. We have heard from Bill Gates and other corporate leaders that claim they cannot get qualified employees. So; what are we going to do?
You do not throw money at a system that has problems. You fix the system and move on. You learn how to be lean and mean.
Name a society that doesn't have problems.
Then compare problems in educated areas to problems in uneducated areas. Education does improve things. Unfortunately, some refuse to be educated. They see conspiracies and indoctrination instead of opportunity.
Then compare problems in educated areas to problems in uneducated areas. Education does improve things. Unfortunately, some refuse to be educated. They see conspiracies and indoctrination instead of opportunity.
I know that all societies have their own special problems. I am really not concerned about other countries. This forum is loaded with people that have problems - or feel that they have a problem.
All I am asking is if we can do a better job with technology. Don’t forget that teachers sat by while factory workers lost their jobs to robots and computers - education even trained the programmers and engineers that created this new wave of technology.
So far, most of the responses I am getting, are negative about online education. Of course; most of the responses are from teachers. I know that there is fear in the teaching community - you resent change that could alter your position. Just like I was not a NAFT supporter and have serious doubts about the Panama Canal expansion currently under way - because it will adversely affect the industry that I was in. I can understand your point of view.
I know that all societies have their own special problems. I am really not concerned about other countries. This forum is loaded with people that have problems - or feel that they have a problem.
All I am asking is if we can do a better job with technology. Don’t forget that teachers sat by while factory workers lost their jobs to robots and computers - education even trained the programmers and engineers that created this new wave of technology.
So far, most of the responses I am getting, are negative about online education. Of course; most of the responses are from teachers. I know that there is fear in the teaching community - you resent change that could alter your position. Just like I was not a NAFT supporter and have serious doubts about the Panama Canal expansion currently under way - because it will adversely affect the industry that I was in. I can understand your point of view.
The answer is "Not in this society". Educating with technology replacing teachers and traditional education will only work with the intrinsically motiaved. However, the current system serves them well. Using technology will only serve to deepen the divide.
I have an acquaintance who taught an online biology class last year. She spent her days policing which sites kids were on. The system they used was self grading and the kids quickly figured out that how much they completed wasn't considered. So they dragged their feet, completing as little as possible. Finally, she told them they would be graded on the percentage they completed. She still had a lot of failures.
Technology cannot replace our current education system until kids are self motivated to learn. However, I really want to see this experiment come to fruition because it will prove, once and for all, that it is the student's motivation that determines the outcome. I'm tired of being blamed for something I have no control over. Plus online education would serve my kids well and they'll have less competition.
Now, if they want to start teaching via video game, that might work but we'd then have a generation of workers with a 5 second attention span...oh wait, we already have students like that.
IMO, if you want to improve education, you need to unplug these kids. No TV, no video games, no ipods, no phones...give them books to read, let them practice math making change in Monopoly, let them use their imaginations to entertain themselves...you know, like the baby boom generation that accomplished so much...
The answer to a plugged in generation with a 5 second attention span who thinks everything must provide instant gratification is not more technology, it's less. If memory serves me correctly, some research was done a few years ago where they wanted to prove that technolgy yeilds higher results but showed just the opposite. Districts without technology were doing a better job of teaching humans. Technology may be great for teaching robots but, apprently, not our children.
I really don't think technology is the answer. The more razzle dazzle we make education, the more razzle dazzle it needs to be to keep kids attention. They are not learning to stay on task, to pay attention or to think for themselves and the more we do for them, the lazier they get. I do smart board and power point presentations for my classes. Now I'm being asked to print them out before lectures so kids don't have to take notes. What's next? Not showing up to class? They always say they'll do it later but they never do. Later never seems to get here. Now you want me to hand them technology that lets them put things off indefinitely?? You do realize that they'll procrastinate until there, literally, aren't enough hours in the day to finish the course and then fail, right?
I know that all societies have their own special problems. I am really not concerned about other countries. This forum is loaded with people that have problems - or feel that they have a problem.
All I am asking is if we can do a better job with technology. Don’t forget that teachers sat by while factory workers lost their jobs to robots and computers - education even trained the programmers and engineers that created this new wave of technology.
So far, most of the responses I am getting, are negative about online education. Of course; most of the responses are from teachers. I know that there is fear in the teaching community - you resent change that could alter your position. Just like I was not a NAFT supporter and have serious doubts about the Panama Canal expansion currently under way - because it will adversely affect the industry that I was in. I can understand your point of view.
I'm afraid I don't see your point. More than likely, the teachers were teaching their prescribed curricula. What do you think they should have been doing?
I'm afraid I don't see your point. More than likely, the teachers were teaching their prescribed curricula. What do you think they should have been doing?
His point is that teachers should lose their jobs to computers because factory workers lost theirs to robots and computers. An eye for an eye.... Since teachers sat back and did nothing while this happened to factory workers (as if we had any control here), we now should lose our jobs....
While you cite problems with our current online system; most of these problems could be remedied with better software. The key is to get the student’s attention and to maybe lock them out of other sites. These are problems - but they should not be insurmountable.
Students should have their own motivation to study and concentrate on what they are doing. Why do they need extra motivation and be locked out of other sites?
It's like that old saying, that you can take the donkey near the water, but if he doesn't want to drink, there is nothing you can do...
Sadly, I don't think that incorporating lots of technology is the answer right now. The huge amount of money the US in general spends on education with not so great results says something, but not many people want to see what's really going on.
I agree with Ivory, self-discipline is non-existent. And teachers have a lot to do, specially with all the unnecessary pressure of standardized tests, to have to entertain the students. Maybe if the parents decide to participate more actively, there would be some synergy and some improvement.
His point is that teachers should lose their jobs to computers because factory workers lost theirs to robots and computers. An eye for an eye.... Since teachers sat back and did nothing while this happened to factory workers (as if we had any control here), we now should lose our jobs....
You are twisting my words and your are beating around the bush. I would like to see the system improve. I did not train computer programmers and robotic engineers - your educational wizards trained them. Education, with the help of big cooperate America and government said that technology was the way to go. Computers get smarter everyday. We are on the threshold; but you don’t want to take the next step.
I keep repeating myself that I never said all or nothing. I would just like to see us embrace the future. Nobody wants to talk about nationally accredited online courses.
You all have valid points. I used to be a hunter and I know how hard it is to get our young interested in the sport. They play the video games and they have action coming at them every second. You take these young gamers into the woods and tell them to sit on a stump all day, without seeing one deer, and they will not do it. I was lucky to get an hour out of them before they were bored. You need to get their attention and it isn’t easy.
You are twisting my words and your are beating around the bush. I would like to see the system improve. I did not train computer programmers and robotic engineers - your educational wizards trained them. Education, with the help of big cooperate America and government said that technology was the way to go. Computers get smarter everyday. We are on the threshold; but you don’t want to take the next step.
I keep repeating myself that I never said all or nothing. I would just like to see us embrace the future. Nobody wants to talk about nationally accredited online courses.
You all have valid points. I used to be a hunter and I know how hard it is to get our young interested in the sport. They play the video games and they have action coming at them every second. You take these young gamers into the woods and tell them to sit on a stump all day, without seeing one deer, and they will not do it. I was lucky to get an hour out of them before they were bored. You need to get their attention and it isn’t easy.
And those of us in the trenches are telling you why it won't work. Why do you think technology is some magic bullet? I'll tell you what my class is like when I bring in the computers. I spend most of my time chasing kids off of email and games and trying to get them to actually work on what I want them to work on. Technology is a distraction not a solution!!! You don't seem to want to hear that.
Most kids are not intrinsically motivated to work on their own. Many kids are easily distracted by all the things they can do with a computer besides the work they are being asked to do. IMO, the only real use for computers in the classroom is requiring specific software be used for specific assignments so kids learn to work the software. There is no way I would want to baby sit a bunch of kids put in front of computers on a regular basis because I'd spend my time policing the sites they're on instead of answering questions. If you do that, you don't need a teacher. You can hire a baby sitter...of course, baby sitters get $2.50/child/hour so you'd be paying a lot more than you do for a teacher.
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