Wednesday, August 06, 2014
How does that happen?
Was reading this story about schools moving away from the latest iPad technology. Makes sense. Though I have a vested interest in classroom tech, I'd rather see it minimized. Kids should have their HANDS on REALITY as much as possible, aided by appropriate tools only when crucially necessary.
This paragraph snapped me to attention.
We’re doing as much as we can to move it from a school responsibility to home,” said Debbie Karcher, head of information technology for Miami-Dade County Public Schools. For now, only parents who work within the school system are eligible for credit-union loans to buy devices at the district’s bulk rate pricing. (About 30 percent of Miami-Dade schoolchildren have a mother or father employed by the district.)30 percent have a mother or father employed by the district. Whoa Nellie! The writer slid right past that number, but it's an astounding number. Thinking back to my high school: We had about 1000 students, 50 teachers, and 20 administrators, janitors and lunch ladies. At most 10 percent of the kids could have been descendants of school employees, but in fact exactly one was a descendant. Son of the administrative secretary. Might have been an unusual situation, because the teachers were at a 'generational juncture'. Half were about 65, half were about 25. Only three teachers were the right age to have kids in HS, but none of them had kids. Even allowing for that peculiarity, I can't see 30 percent. It just doesn't make a plausible picture. ¶ 7:10 AM
