US drags education into 21st Century
Congress gives go ahead for improvements
TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS will creep into classrooms as the US aims to bring education into the 21st century.
The National Centre for Research in Advanced Information and Digital Technologies, which is at the forefront of this move, aims to bring the children up to date.
Senator Chris Dodd says "America's reputation as an international leader rests in the hands of our youth" – talk about pressure.
The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) explains, "People assumed that the explosion of innovation in information tools in business and service industries would automatically move into classrooms," they also say that this has not happened.
The centre will work at improving learning of this kind from as early as pre-school, right through to university age.
Henry Kelly, the Federation's president says that educational institutions are falling behind the economy, leading them to re-think their approach to learning techniques
The FAS continues to admit that learning would probably be more successful if students could actually see where their work was heading, and could be motivated by this goal.
Kelly reiterates this point by explaining that, "Today's generation is very comfortable with using tools like Ipods and computers and gaming, but when they go into the classroom none of that is there and there is this sense of an opportunity we are just not grasping."
Before now there has been a financial restriction on how much the education sector can do in this area, this should be relieved by the £27m which has been allocated to the centre.
The centre is expected to be up and running around this time next year. µ
Comments
Abolish the teachers union
Until the fundamental causes of the poor US school system are fixed, the school system will remain at the bottom of the barrel. The teachers union must be dissolved, and vouchers are needed to give parents a choice. The excellent US university system in contrast is the model that needs to be followed. As usual, it is the democrats who block the necessary improvements.How about they...
How about they actually start teaching things that matter like focusing on science and math rather than self-esteem. Technology has no real place in the classroom and can be learned outside easily. It only acts as a distraction from real learning.US drags education into 21st Century
Back in the 50's 60's America had great education system . But since the arrinal of the new left. Parents have lost controll of the wee people in the homes.The government says how we have to raise our children . But we still have to pay for them. If US government wants to raise our children.In a certain way they should pay for it .
Alast no fear this system is coming to end. As middle America becomes more poor . The rich and there government are doomed. Hopefully.g\
Teachers Unions
I don't necessarily think the teachers' unions need to be abolished, as the problem lies more with politicians who are afraid to tangle with them. Here is New York state, the largest lobbyists are the teachers' unions, By largest, I mean the ones that throw the most money around.Until we fix our political system to eliminate contributions from any entity other than individual voters, any attempt to fix our public education system is doomed to failure. The teachers' unions are only interested in what's best for the teachers (more pay, more benefits, less work), than for the future of our country.
naive is evian spelled ... h/o, someone is txting me
As far as pedagogy is concerned, the printing press made public schools obsolete as an educational institution.They operate now as an institution of cultural and religious assimilation.
Yes, I _am_ suggesting that the schools are the State's church. As such, they are American. They are who we are. They will not go away.
Some Eee PC isn't going to change it.
This is America, buddy!
Any union....
That's about the same for any union Dylan. They aren't interested in what's fair anymore. They're just interested in how much they can get.They're the reason the U.S. is a manufacturing wasteland these days and all the while the members scream about U.S. companies shipping jobs over seas and across the borders to the north and south. If they stopped to ask themselves what's going on, they MAY come up with the answer that the companies need to have work received for their exorbitant pay.
As for education.
It's not just the teachers or the government. It's the lack of parental involvement in the kids' lives. That and a complete lack of any sort of discipline allowed in public schools.
Bring back regular beatings
Technology does not solve every problem.Yes, kids should graduate from school with a working knowldge of how to use a computer. However, computers do not teach children - they are not a panacea.
The focus on passing tests by rote completly eliminates "learning" and replaces it with memorization. Once again, the focus on bizarre politician created metrics has entirely skewed the school system away from giving people the ability to reason and problem solve in exchange for getting 67% or better on a multiple choice test.
Unions = Failure
The first poster hit it on the head, although I don't think s/he realizes that when the Democrats block "improvements" they actually believe they are promoting Democrats (thus they don't see improvement as a good thing).As far as teaching things that really matter, they should be teaching about simple ethics and consequences - that failure to balance a budget will result in Johnny living in poverty in his old age; that allowing government to grow as large as it has means no hope of prosperity for most people despite the greatest level of wealth per person in history; and that allowing Congress an unlimited level of budget means inescapable collapse as demonstrated time and again throughout history.
THOSE would be useful facts to teach Johnny, and it might just result in another tea party...
j/k
"this should be relieved by the £27m which has been allocated to the centre."Seems US economy has now reached a point that they started to use pounds then, even though the pound is a bit too closely related to the dollar to be trustworthy itself.
Go figure :)