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So you'd probably think that being in a recession, schools would be cutting things from their budgets. Not this school district:Arizona School Bus Offers Wi-Fi ServiceI guess I don't understand why they think students need the internet to get homework done. Is that what we're at nowadays? Is an internet connection a fundamental human right? And of course there's always the issue of whether students are really going to be using it for homework to begin with.May the sense of entitlement begin at an early age!
Isnt there some Obama initiative to bring high-speed internet to every home in America? I remember reading something about it last week.Here are some pieces that speak to it: Can the Internet be a Human Right?Frances courst say it is: court blocks controversial internet piracy lawHere is the adminstration plan: FCC previews National Broadband Plan details
… is no more a right than buying a newspaper or having a telephone (LL or cell). Access is another issue; papers are available in the library, as are computers w/ i'net.As a retired teacher I'd say that kids don't “need” INTERNET just yet but the day is coming as libraries become less accessible… simply a warehouse for books; no (or very little) instruction on how to use a library because of cost cutting. We want instant info that i'net provides, not hours of time in the stacks.Big downside to i'net is that cheating is much easier. Sure there are sites that will check for plagiarism but again cost will enter the equation.My $0.02 :-
I am all for companies trying to make this possible and profiting from it. I guess it's another thing when it rises to the level of something which people are entitled to and where the government funds it. I think this also sends the wrong message to young students. It tells students that without the internet, they can't do their homework. Someone else can probably tell me better – how much work do young students have nowadays that really requires the internet? I am a student as well, and while I also use the internet for much of my homework, I wouldn't say that I need it all the time. It's nice to have in order to look at photos of works or structures I'm studying, or to look up a word in an online dictionary, but it can also be a distraction as well.
Many of the textbook companies are putting more of their ancillary materials on the i'net to save school districts money. As we've seen with some of the quiz materials some of us have posted, they are quite good; some of the sites are secure and the klids are able to take pre and post tests and even the actual assessment online (teacher can check it and record the grade).Today teachers are encouraged (in some cases mandated) to include i'net assignments and projects… not bad on the face of it but not the end-all either. Like any other tool it's handy but not the only tool in the bag. I've seen kids complain they couldn't find anything on a certain topic because though they could twitter, facebook, etc. and find all the games, music, and porn yhou wanted… either couldn't do or didn't have the patience to do a good search. I just walked over to the book shelf and pick the right volume of World Book and…. They thought that was cool… no one had shown them how to do that.Just another tool, if you know how to use it… fine. If not use something else.
Do we need TV as well ?Do we need to debate here whilst we could write to each other ?Is electricity really useful ? Civilisations grew and died without it.Internet is a tool, useful or not that's another debate but it's something becoming as important as photography, telephone, television and so on… Personally I don't run to the library to check for a reply, I click. (sorry :-[ )
Many of the textbook companies are putting more of their ancillary materials on the i'net to save school districts money.
Hmmm….I wonder where the “savings” is going. Aren't public schools notorious for continually asking for more and more money even as the quality of their students (in terms of test scores) remains stagnant or declines? Sorry…perhaps I shouldn't be turning this into a gripe session about the state of American education.
Do we need TV as well ?Do we need to debate here whilst we could write to each other ?Is electricity really useful ? Civilisations grew and died without it.Internet is a tool, useful or not that's another debate but it's something becoming as important as photography, telephone, television and so on… Personally I don't run to the library to check for a reply, I click. (sorry :-[ )
But with all those things you listed, who is paying for it? I don't mind having the internet available on buses – heck, I would love a non-stop wireless connection – but the fact that the school district is paying for it makes it questionable, and I think it sets a problematic precedent. We should ask ourselves two basic questions – does having the internet on school buses create better students? If so, is it worth the taxpayers' money used to fund it?I can't imagine that the typical student of today is academically better than the average student of the late-19th or early-20th century….even though these latter students lacked wi-fi connections.
Hmmm….I wonder where the “savings” is going. Aren't public schools notorious for continually asking for more and more money even as the quality of their students (in terms of test scores) remains stagnant or declines? Sorry…perhaps I shouldn't be turning this into a gripe session about the state of American education.
No problem; any savings go to pay for whatever is the new flavor of the month solution to the problem you point out. Oh yeah, and the millions it costs state and local districts for the bloddy testing. 😮
… but the fact that the school district is paying for it makes it questionable, and I think it sets a problematic precedent. We should ask ourselves two basic questions – does having the internet on school buses create better students? If so, is it worth the taxpayers' money used to fund it?
Part 1; it is likely part of a technology grant. Innovative ideas (even if impractical) often win these sorts of things. Part 2; your question of something being worth our money isn't the thrust of the NCLB act… it is what makes it look like Congress is doing something to improve education. If the district gets funds from the Feds it usually has restrictions upon what it may be used to pay for… even if it is something the district doesn't need; if they use it for anything else they loose funding totally. Carrot or stick is often both.
I can't imagine that the typical student of today is academically better than the average student of the late-19th or early-20th century….even though these latter students lacked wi-fi connections.
More likely the reverse. 😛
No students do not need the internet. They need a chalkboard, a book, some paper, a pencil, and a teacher who knows their butt from a hole in the ground.
The internet has surpassed newspapers and radio in popularity as a news platform on a typical day and now ranks just behind TV. * 78% of Americans say they get news from a local TV station. * 73% say they get news from a national network such as CBS or cable TV station such as CNN or Fox News. * 61% say they get some kind of news online. * 54% say they listen to a radio news program at home or in the car. * 50% say they read news in a local newspaper. * 17% say they read news in a national newspaper such as the New York Times or USA Today.http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1508/internet-cell-phone-users-news-social-experience?src=prc-latest&proj=peoplepress
