Essential Questions
by Kevin Brady
Question 1
In a time where technology has been integrated into and has changed almost all avenues of life (i.e. business, engineering, transportation, health care, military, defense …) why is the educational field so reluctant to adopt it and changed its methodology.
Question 2
Most businesses have long adopted technology, its associated expense and consider it the cost of doing business in a modern and competitive world. In this day and age most have mature IT infrastructures and have by now completed multiple ‘refreshes’ of their technology. At a time of limited budget growth and an growing attitude of ‘no increase in taxes’ many school systems have yet to make the necessary capital expenditures to implement mature IT plans. If schools plan to go forward, how will they get the funds to pay for this (both the initial and re-occurring cost)? Should other areas suffer? Will it be necessary to redefine the contemporary educational system?
Question 3
In the business and professional world once technology has been integrated into an enterprise it is used by all and becomes standard business practice. Employees are not permitted the choice of not using new tools or ignoring new standards. It appears that in many school systems new technology goes unused or is under utilized. This appears to be due in part to the teachers and/or administrators resistance to change, as if they were the subject characters in “Who Moved My Cheese”. Is this matter of training, a lack of management or labor issues? Is this problem the school systems responsibility, is it an issue of teachers resisting change and additional responsibilities, or are there other reasons?
Question 4
In many private schools, upon reaching a certain grade level students are given a laptop computer (with the cost is factored into the tuition). This is not true in public schools although many schools require students starting at a certain grade level to submit some homework in electronic format. Considering that not all students have access to a computer at home; is this requirement fair or should schools provide inexpensive systems to all students.
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