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North Carolina School District Has Success With MacBook Air Initiative
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Of course, we know the ineffective/old/out of touch/union hack teachers WERE NOT the ones fired, and the young, energized, bright new teachers who may have actually inspired and taught were cut first.
That's not because of the new computers, that's due to the corrupt/labor pandering teacher's union contract - which Steve specifically noted as one if not the major hindrances to a decent public education system.
mooresville school - fail!
"The Mooresville Graded School District paid for the initiative by eliminating 65 jobs, including 37 teaching positions, and accepting larger class sizes. At the same time, schools could get rid of computer labs and antiquated teaching materials like hanging wall maps. "
I'm sorry - i love tech, and have all the Apple toys - but I would fight tooth and nail against dumping teachers and raising class sizes in order to buy computers...
"The Mooresville Graded School District paid for the initiative by eliminating 65 jobs, including 37 teaching positions, and accepting larger class sizes. At the same time, schools could get rid of computer labs and antiquated teaching materials like hanging wall maps. "
I'm sorry - i love tech, and have all the Apple toys - but I would fight tooth and nail against dumping teachers and raising class sizes in order to buy computers...
You say the statistics are a lie, okay give me some reasons why those numbers would have improved after they cut 37 teacher positions. Parents getting more involved, what changed? You would think the district would have looked at all changes that have occurred to make sure it was actually the computers?
There are a bunch of people here who are complaining that these changes are hurting students and ruining education.
To them I say: prove it!
We have strong evidence here (and in other similar programs) that students are benefiting tremendously. Better attendance, much higher test scores, and much higher graduation rates.
However, apparently those stats mean nothing to many of you and you are arguing that these programs are detrimental to education. Please show us your evidence. I'm open to other facts, but simply saying these programs are terrible because it's your gut feeling or personal opinion simply isn't acceptable.
To them I say: prove it!
We have strong evidence here (and in other similar programs) that students are benefiting tremendously. Better attendance, much higher test scores, and much higher graduation rates.
However, apparently those stats mean nothing to many of you and you are arguing that these programs are detrimental to education. Please show us your evidence. I'm open to other facts, but simply saying these programs are terrible because it's your gut feeling or personal opinion simply isn't acceptable.
You have got to be kidding, I am guessing you are a teacher maybe, you would sacrifice education and longer term benefits for short term gains. Typical problem with our society, we are too short sighted...
We don't know what the "long term benefits" are yet since this concept is new.
There may be long term deficiencies in social interaction.
You would really fight tooth and nail against an 11% increase in graduation rates, a 15% increase in average test scores and better attendance.
Wow...
Are these tests just standardized tests? If they are they could have easily made a program that focuses soley on getting good scores on a standardized test, which doesn't always equate to a good education.
the drop out rate is encouraging tho, who wouldn't want to go play on a computer all day at school?
the drop out rate is encouraging tho, who wouldn't want to go play on a computer all day at school?
Social interaction will surely decline. With all those students actually graduating there will be less qualified individuals to be Walmart Greeters.
Of course they would. They are unionized teachers. Programs like this (aka eliminating the useless of them and replacing with technology/systems better for kids) are what their unions exist to prevent.
Gotta love it.
Can't fire teachers because they are incompetent, but watch out for a new MacBook Air!
Can't fire teachers because they are incompetent, but watch out for a new MacBook Air!
hush now, you are acting like the turd in the punchbowl.
didn't you know this thread was about worshipping the mac? its like secret sauce: you add the mac to anything and the mac makes it better!
enlightening discourse on educational methods? no way, this is thread is where we all get to take a slice of the reality distortion pie, its like we're all marketers in here!
and yeah, im sure a school district trying to justify its budget is about as unbiased as an entity can be...
Yes I would. I'm a parent of two kids and I know there's a lot more to success than statistics. The states are being taken here by many as proof that it's better. Stats don't always show the whole story folks.
read the whole article
Yes the computers made a huge difference but it's how they incorporated them. They changed the entire idea of a classroom as well.
also note what one of the students said about how it changed their social behavior
Say what you want but this district understands that it's not just the computers but it's how you integrate the computers into a digital classroom and yet do it with less teachers.
Yes the computers made a huge difference but it's how they incorporated them. They changed the entire idea of a classroom as well.
also note what one of the students said about how it changed their social behavior
Say what you want but this district understands that it's not just the computers but it's how you integrate the computers into a digital classroom and yet do it with less teachers.
hush now, you are acting like the turd in the punchbowl.
didn't you know this thread was about worshipping the mac? its like secret sauce: you add the mac to anything and the mac makes it better!
enlightening discourse on educational methods? no way, this is thread is where we all get to take a slice of the reality distortion pie, its like we're all marketers in here!
and yeah, im sure a school district trying to justify its budget is about as unbiased as an entity can be...
Thank you for this particularly "enlightening discourse on educational methods."
I'm all for human interaction, however ...
I read the full article on the NYT. The humans have not been removed. There is even more 1 on 1, as well as plenty of small group interactions within these classes. The students learn to use the technology to help them find the solutions to questions posed by the teacher/course either individually, with the teacher's help or with fellow classmates.
Not only are they learning the subject matter assigned, they're also learning the tools that they'll be facing in the outside world when they're on their own.
Totally missing the point ....
If you read Isaacson's biography on Jobs ... even just the first couple chapters? You'd get a decent picture of Steve's life as a kid, growing up. Clearly, he found his formal education frustrating and constricting, compared to the things he was able to explore and learn about on his own.
I think he's drawing on his own personal experiences as a student to realize what worked and what didn't for him -- and that's as valid as anything else, IMO.
Of course Apple is a business and like all businesses, wants to maximize profits by selling their products. But Apple also has a long history of a presence in education. I think educators tend to have a knee-jerk reaction against initiatives like this, if they put any of their jobs at risk.
There's got to be a balance, obviously. You can't make classes TOO big or teachers too few, or students suffer. That doesn't mean that with properly implemented technology, there might be a "sweet spot" that does eliminate a few teachers and makes classes slightly larger. With the cost of education skyrocketing, everyone footing the bill deserves to have the system streamlined as much as possible.
If you read Isaacson's biography on Jobs ... even just the first couple chapters? You'd get a decent picture of Steve's life as a kid, growing up. Clearly, he found his formal education frustrating and constricting, compared to the things he was able to explore and learn about on his own.
I think he's drawing on his own personal experiences as a student to realize what worked and what didn't for him -- and that's as valid as anything else, IMO.
Of course Apple is a business and like all businesses, wants to maximize profits by selling their products. But Apple also has a long history of a presence in education. I think educators tend to have a knee-jerk reaction against initiatives like this, if they put any of their jobs at risk.
There's got to be a balance, obviously. You can't make classes TOO big or teachers too few, or students suffer. That doesn't mean that with properly implemented technology, there might be a "sweet spot" that does eliminate a few teachers and makes classes slightly larger. With the cost of education skyrocketing, everyone footing the bill deserves to have the system streamlined as much as possible.
Thank you for reading the whole article, I just mentioned this as well. I think because of the computers the teachers have the ability to do 1 on 1 because the rest of the class is still learning from the computer "textbook"
What about other students?
District had 80 percent of students who met the state guidelines and this seems to be aimed at bottom 20 percent. It will be interesting to see if they can show improvements for others, too. Larger class size usually hurts performace all around, and I wonder if that is actually suppressing performance at the top or the middle.
District had 80 percent of students who met the state guidelines and this seems to be aimed at bottom 20 percent. It will be interesting to see if they can show improvements for others, too. Larger class size usually hurts performace all around, and I wonder if that is actually suppressing performance at the top or the middle.
I liked the part where you addressed the last sentence in my post. I told you this thread was lame.
Originally Posted by Rhymecrafter
You have got to be kidding, I am guessing you are a teacher maybe, you would sacrifice education and longer term benefits for short term gains. Typical problem with our society, we are too short sighted...
Agreed, long term results will be more apparent down the road, but the obvious implications here are of a longer term benefit. I have to say, I can't see Social Interraction as an issue, they are not taking teacher interraction away, just modifying it.
Mind you I have to say, we have sure hit a note here that everybody has an opinion on...
You have got to be kidding, I am guessing you are a teacher maybe, you would sacrifice education and longer term benefits for short term gains. Typical problem with our society, we are too short sighted...
Agreed, long term results will be more apparent down the road, but the obvious implications here are of a longer term benefit. I have to say, I can't see Social Interraction as an issue, they are not taking teacher interraction away, just modifying it.
Mind you I have to say, we have sure hit a note here that everybody has an opinion on...
You've got to be kidding me! Wall maps antiquated? It doesn't have to be digital to be useful! I use our hanging wall map to teach my boy about countries or discuss world events with my wife all the time! It's always there (you don't have to open an app to find it), and it's located conveniently that it's there when you want to refer to it. Calling wall maps antiquated and doing away with them is over the top. Not to mention they have decorative value.
I also find it sad that 37 teachers have been replaced by computers. Although the computers may do a better job than a sub-par teacher, technology cannot beat a good teacher, and a good teacher can utilize technology to become a better teacher. I will never forget my good teachers, and they could never be replaced by computer software.