WHAT WORKS IN EDUCATION The George Lucas Educational Foundation

Is enough of the stimulus money going to school technology?

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Money is quite a sensitive

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Money is quite a sensitive topic to be honest because as you know, everything is based on money nowadays. I believe that more money should be given to education system, yes, because our children are the future and we need to raise them good, if we want to live good.
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Marilyn G

Economic stimulus

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That's right. I agree, it would be worth it, if the money would be spent to technology, since its benefits would be to all of us, especially to those who haven't given a privilege to use technology. There's been a lot of talk over the last few months about the stimulus. Stimulus just means incoming information eliciting a response, intended or not. What a lot of people are talking about is the economic stimulus that Obama has been talking up for awhile. The intention is to basically make payday loans to various sectors of the economy, in the hopes that it will increase the amount of money being spent, and also create new jobs so that people aren't just sitting around collecting unemployment or potentially starving. If it works, then it is exactly the kind of stimulus we could use.

Frank Brown

I agree with the first

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I agree with the first comment by Doug. I believe it would be more worthwhile to spend the money on those under-privileged who have limited access to technology. This would be inner-city schools that lack the budget to even have computers in their classroom. It is disgusting how our public educational system is failing in numerous cities across the nation, yet they do not allocate more money to prevent their failure. Once we cut costs in Iraq (15 months before combat troops evacuate) we should focus on these deprived institutions.

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mike faillace

Each school should receive

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Each school should receive more like $35,000 to $150,000 per school, depending on needs and/or student population etc. 100,000 x $70,000 = THAT WOULD BE THE REVOLUTION WE NEED...a tax payer's revolution! Let's be realistic and practical. Everything in America is anxiously awaiting to be "fixed" with the next generations money.

Technology in Education

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I agree that there is no sustitute for a supportive, inspiring, encouraging human connection, particularly that of a good teacher. But even the best teacher has limits in satisfying a child's curiousity and passion to learn. School and local libraries have limited resources even for those students who love to learn from print and can read at an advanced level. Technology can provide almost unlimited access to information, people, creative tools, simulations, audio/video tutorial instruction, and real time experience. How long does the spark of curiousity and enthusiasm for learning last if the first three adults a child asks (teacher, parent, librarian,...?) don't have a clue, or if they have a clue, don't have the time or resources to help the child follow it? Technology puts power and resources in the learner's hands.

Wire the students, not just the schools

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$650 million comes out to only about $11 per student (55 million students).

It shouldn't be school-centered anyway, it should be student-centered. Give each student a netbook for example.
If you limited to just those students whose families couldn't afford to buy one on their own (~$200),
the cost would be significantly lower. Assuming it was the same 29 million students on the school
lunch program, that would cost about $6 billion, which could be further reduced by donations and
other means, such as not spending millions per state on textbooks and using open electronic texts instead.

We spend $6 billion in 2-3 weeks in Iraq.

MAUREEN MARTIN

Stimulus money allocated for technology

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When it comes to education, there is never enough money, but look where we were a few months ago. I think we are off to a great start and all we have to do is continue to ask for more allocation to assist us in developing technology in our classrooms as we move into the 21st century.

k205

I think that money for

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I think that money for technology is extremely important. In today’s world students have to know how to use technology. Even elementary schools are using technology such as computers to help children learn. Technology is all around us in our everyday life, and students need to know how to effectively use it. In high schools students should learn how to use programs on the computer such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. So many companies use these programs every day, and I think it is important that students know how to use these types of programs to help them in their careers. Students must be prepared for work after high school and knowing how to use technology is a great asset to anyone trying to find a job, especially in any business field. Technology helps children learn and it gives students new ways to find information and gain knowledge. It’s a good idea for teachers to mix things up a bit and it’s helpful to use computers, overhead projectors, PowerPoint presentations, and many other pieces of technology. There is software for computers such as tutorials to help children learn about new subjects and drill and practice software to help children learn their multiplication facts. There is also software which allows children to do science experiments without needing all of the expensive equipment and there is never any mess. I think sometimes we don’t realize how much technology affects our everyday lives and how much it can help improve students learning. I do agree that many teachers don’t seem to be qualified to teach about technology, and I think it’s important that educators have the proper training. There are so many different ways that technology can improve student’s academic performance, but teachers need to feel as though they are supported from administration so they have confidence to help children learn using technology. I believe that money used for technology will be greatly beneficial to all schools.

nora

technology

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I've worked in a dozen schools in two states as a gifted teacher and sub. Rural and suburban, private and public schools, kindergarten to 12th grade, what I see is that children need individual attention, meaningful work that relates to their lives, and a calmer day so there is time for reflection. Some major problems with technology in the schools that I've been in are that it is another abstract form of learning, it is yet another distraction for children whose attention is already in question, it further segments a fragmented day, and the equipment is obsolete before it is out of the box. Also, who says that technology is the way to a "world-class education"? The folks selling the stuff? Not that there isn't a place for technology. Children need to be technologically savvy, eventually, in order to function in the world, but shouldn't they be children first? Also, computers are a great way to store and retrieve information but, with limited funds, shouldn't we put our money into something more lasting? We all remember a teacher who got us excited about learning or provided us with time to work with friends on a project resulting in personal pride and discovery. Very few of us, I imagine, have fond memories of a machine.

Chuck Fellows

Technology in education

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Technology will improve learning opportunities if, and only if, teachers and administrators take their lead from the students and commercial enterprise dedicated to entertainment via technology.

In addition, communities, specifically local school boards and state boards of education, should pay attention to insure that their policies and prohibitions do not defeat the implementation of technology in the classroom and the collaboration it encourages. Careful design and educator training can replace the censorship of the really clumsy filters used today.

Curriculum police must realize that playing games and having fun are a huge part of learning.