computeranalogy
Computers in Schools
I must get annoyed easily. I read another article about an elementary school that didn't have enough computers and sent an E-Mail to the principal regarding RETAINING wealth. This is what the text looked like . . .
Attn: Elementary School Principal: Subject: Partner with your high schools.
I just read that 1/3 of your classrooms don't have a working computer . . . there is a reason for this . . . they are sitting in landfills in Asia, warehouses all over the country and in people's basements and closets.
Most people think NEW, Internet . . . but they should be thinking word processing, typing, basic applications . . . particularly for young kids . . .
High schools should have classes which 'collect' equipment that is still functional and kids should be taught how to diagnose, repair, and get things back into service . . . you can save anything that needs to be printed on a 3.5 inch disk (yes, this is what I think elementary kids should be using) and take the disk to a 'printer' area with ONE or two designated printers . . . you don't need a lot of fancy stuff (except in one fancy computer room or library--now there--in that one place--you should have the equivalent of a classroom of the best equipment).
I just dropped off a really nice tower with a functional graphics card, mother board, 3.5 inch drive, etc. at Best Buy as part of their recycling program. They required that the hard drives be removed but that particular computer ran ALL the original Windows programs on a DOS 5 system and there were TONS of kids programs designed for elementary kids that ran on it too.
If schools don't have the computer equipment they need for elementary kids, it's because Americans are throwing it away.
Anyway, good luck with all of your education and technology programs. And, I just set up an evolving community development web site which has a 'television set' component, much akin to the computer component of this E-Mail.
The Jeep Project talks about file sizes. We are not teaching kids about their impact on infrastructure (or where the money comes from to maintain it). The television project talks about NOT throwing away usable stuff . . . In fact, all of the site is about RETAINING wealth in communities. If you RETAIN it, you don't have to create it . . . and/or you can spend the money on other things . . .
Anyway, I must get annoyed easily . . .
P.S. Imagine all the rewritable 3.5 inch floppy disks that could be given to kids if we could find all the people who got AOL (and other) disks in the mail in the '90's who just could not throw them away . . . (Note: you probably have to 'flip' the tab before reformatting (erasing) them).
P.S. P.S. I bet many people do not know that those old 90's computers can use the new digital TVs which have PC inputs (VGA/SVGA cable connections: If you press the INPUT button on your remote control and see PC, you have one). Lots of people saved the cables that didn't save the equipment (those closets and basements again). If you wanted kids to have word processing equipment at home (the basic computer), a lot of families would already have a monitor/screen to hook it to (people LOVE buying TVs).
P.S. P.S. P.S. Why kids are SO important ( OPEN ) .