The Missoulian reported today, May 16, 2012, on proposed cuts to the budget for Missoula County Public Schools. The title of the article is, "Textbooks, janitors, jobs could be cut in Missoula County Public Schools Budget". There were many great comments with which missoulaschoolswatchdog agreed. The current MCPS Board and Superintendent Apostle seem to be going forward with adding mega amounts of technology in Missoula's schools, both the elementary and high schools. Below is a letter addressing the down side of using technology in education.
You know, folks, you're all refusing to recognize the elephant in the room: educational technology. Educational technology (ET), beginning with filmstrips, tape cassettes, films, etc., was supposed to be the answer to the educational problems back in the 1960s. Then, Apple introduced its machines. Ole! Computers were supposed to eliminate the dropout problem and increase educational outcomes.
Hello! Here we are about 50 years later, singing the same song, spending more money on technology, but cutting teachers, janitors, and clerical staff.
The problem of public education is not the number of teachers, janitors, and other staff. The problem has been there is TOO MUCH TECHNOLOGY and NOT ENOUGH teachers, flesh & blood people to work with kids, ideally one on one.
I would not be saying this if educational technology HAD increased learning and student retention. IT HAS NOT. Why are we still, 50 years or so after the advent of ET, lamenting dropouts and less learning than countries far less able to provide electronic learning to their students?
My point? NOTHING HAS CHANGED, despite the $millions & $billions spent on ET. We are where we were 50 years ago. ET has its place, but it's not in our public schools. It's fine to train our military or for online universities. It is not fine for elementary and even HS kids.
You can't argue with me on this. ET has not, is not, and will NEVER DO ONE SINGLE THING to lower the dropout rate or improve learning, at least for the 80% of students. IT HASN'T DONE IT FOR THE PAST 50 YEARS! ET is good for special ed. & for the talented & gifted. ET is good for media centers; but, guess what? Those positions are on the block in MCPS.
"Educational" technology has been the single biggest scam on the American public in history. MCPS should look at reducing, if not eliminating, its budget for ET, and devote that money for more flesh & blood teachers. MCPS does not need the machines and the staff that supports them.
"Oh," you say, "what about learning to use computers for the job?" Hey, kids are beyond that. That's immaterial to the stuff they REALLY need to know to become good citizens. Kids have their cell phones, iPads, etc. They're savvy to that. What they need is eye-ball to eye-ball contact with a live, caring adult about a math, history, science, whatever problem in the classroom.
Just get rid of the machines, cut a huge part of the budget, and you may be able to hire real people to teach and help real kids.
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