Hoover: A Chicken in every Pot; Blagojevich: A PC in every Lap
via Buck Stops Here ,
Here's a good post on the Illinois governor's proposal to buy laptops (at $300 apiece) for 169,000 seventh-graders in that state. Seems like an extraordinary waste of money to me. With $300 of books, the kids might actually learn something. It's possible that they might learn something from the computers as well, but not likely: They'll far more likely use the computers (for the most part) for such crucial tasks as email, instant messenging, looking up news about celebrities/movies/music, etc. What plausible reason is there to think that giving a seventh-grader a free laptop is going to improve the learning process in any way?Who gets the contract?
10 comments:
Wow... that is like giving seventh graders a license to watch porn. Way to go, Blago....
Bill,
You totally asked the right question. Ig you want the short list, I'd go to the state board of elections web site and search for $50,000+ donors.
This argument is about as analogous as to why I had to learn cursive writing in elementary school.
The vast majority of work is done on computers these days. Making sure the vast majority of kids can run a computer and use it to aid in their learning/work is as necessary as it was to teach the masses to read and write.
The big problem I see with that proposal is those little ingrates probably won't take proper care of their laptops.
Maybe the Gov. should consider buying laptops for state employees. I know many employees at IDOT who could make use of the technology to save money and increase efficiency. It must make too much sense.
Bill--
This was originally Lite Gov. Quinn's proposal for the whole state. I for one would like to know who is paying for the repairs on these and the upgrades for the software for the five years these laptops are supposed to last.
Also, what about the internet connection at home? Who's going to pay for that? Plus, not every school is set up for wireless laptops. Is there funding to help those schools?
Our high school where I worked until I retired last year went the laptop route. These were wireless and the cart acted as the charger and wireless access point.
The first day they were in a classroom, two were dropped. this was in an honors English class--the cream of the crop. Keys popped off but one does not buy a key or two to replace. Oh no, the whole keyboard is replaced. Luckily, these were still under warrantee.
I will give you that computers are a tool--I repeat a tool--that has become a necessity in schools if we are going to prepare our students as learners and citizens of the 21st century. It is also a tool that needs to be supervised to make sure students are using them properly. Even with filters, one needs to keep on top of things because the best filter can't catch everything.
Every child should also get an iPod and cell phone as well. The rich white kids get them so why shouldn't the poor little negros who vote for Daley and Blago get them also.
You see if you have an iPod, you will no longer be poor and ignant. It has nothing to do with family and environment. It has to do with electronic material possessions.
Every child should get a comb to have hair like Blago, and every child should marry a ward bosses daughter so he can can elected to office. The lucky I DO club.
Won't these laptops expose the 7th graders to child predators as the kids hurry to create world's largest friend group on MySpace?
Won't someone please think of the CHILDREN?!?
[/sarcasm]
Good catch on the story!
I agree with the governor-give the kids what they need to succeed. Laptops for all. I am buying.
Is this going to be similar to the free books for every child? If we can't afford to buy a free book how can we afford to buy a laptop? Plus, a story downstate last week talked about the Murphysboro High School not having enough Algebra books for each student and that students had to take turns taking the book home for study. Not opposing the idea so much as wondering about the urgency.
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