The $100 laptop closer to reality

[bbj at innismir.net (Ben Jackson)]

On Thu, 29 Sep 2005, Brendan wrote:

> Why are American kids getting dumber? Instead of technology being pushed into
> every crevice, we need some research that conclusively says where it's
> needed, and where an actual book is better. Mostly, this is going to be used
> for IM to other kids. Of course, some of them are going to learn more with a
> laptop, and I guess we'll just depend on those kids making it to adulthood to
> run the country.

Technology being pushed into every crevice isn't the problem. The problem
is that technology is being billed as the "Silver Bullet" for education.
"OMG! We give these kids laptops, and they'll be smarter!". The snake oil
salesmen are moving from books to educational software.

Educational software is not a bad thing. The problem is that people buy
"Education Software 1.0", toss it to the school, and never sit down with
the teachers to implement it.

My fiancee teaches primary school. They are buying laptops w/ some kind of
educational software thing. Now, this is a neutral thing. However, if it
just sits there stagnant, or is just used for dog and pony shows, it is a
waste. However, there are more then a few teachers are making a concerted
effort to learn the software (which, I will admit, can do some pretty
intresting things). This is a good thing(tm), and is what is lacking in a
lot of markets. It's the same concept as a VP who buys some package to
solve all the companies problems, then never trains anyone.

> The book monopoly/lobby/scam-artists are never, ever going to allow a 25
> dollar, self-updating PDF file. Forget that dream, when they are making
> 100-150 per book, per student, per class. No way are they going to ditch
> *that* revenue-stream.

Agreed. That is going to be very scary.

> Remember, all the great achievements in nearly every subject have all been
> achieved with actual books teaching actual students. Kepler didn't have the
> newest Toshiba. Galileo didn't IM his buddies to tell them about the bowling
> ball experiment and Copernicus didn't leave a .doc attachment saying he
> wanted to posthumously publish his works.

Eh, techology, if treated as a means to an ends, can make a lot of
difference. I used my Internet connection to hang out in USENET and learn
gobs of information. I dare say I've picked up more coding help from the
web then from books. The books or computers are merely a medium, the same
information can be gathered from either.

> We need more teachers that are held to higher standards while making more
> money, teaching fewer kids, not throwing technology against the wall and
> hoping something sticks. We *have* the solutions to the sliding scale in this
> country and it's green, hires more teachers with horn-rimmed glasses actually
> *sitting* with students until they get it.

This is very difficult to do. This is another discussion for another time.
Remember, lawmakers have about as much clue as education as they do about
technology, and look at the laws they pass for tech. (Simply put, the same
boneheadedness in the DMCA is also prevelant in the MCAS tests).

> Who is going to teach the teachers to use these magical laptops? Who is going
> to make them crack/hack-proof? What kind of IT infrastructure will this
> introduce? What happens when a worm is develops that races through the
> monoculture of non-updated laptops with WiFi? No no, don't do any research
> into it, just buy some cheaper laptops. That's the answer. A third of these
> kids are failing the MCAS Math portion, so let's get them IM'ing with their
> friends. That'll solve the problem. Hey, on a camping trip with boring
> parents? Use that crank to power your 4-hour IM session to Susie about what
> Reese Witherspoon was wearing at the Oscar's...and how she looked "So cute"
> in those shoes. ;-)

To be honest, right after the whole "How cool" thought passed through my
head, the next thing that popped into my head was "Who's going to SUPPORT
these damn things? I could make a killing!". I hope this doesn't make me
evil. I enjoy my alignment of chaotic-good. :D


				~Ben