Technology in Schools

My days of school are well past me now, but through this process I have really come to understand how technology affects our schools. When I was a high school senior, the commodore 64 was the standard computer and making a small program in basic made you a computer nerd. What our children, teachers, parents, and administrators do today is amazing.
First lessons are more in PowerPoint and resemble presentations worthy of any Fortune 500 corporation. Some reports by students as young as middle school are also done in PowerPoint and other professional presentation software.
The teachers use overhead video projectors to lead the classroom discussion where ever it may go. It is no longer unheard of for a teacher to go onto the internet during class to display an image or information to answer a student’s question. For example, a class on ancient Rome can bring in 100’s of images to answer the questions and lead to better discussion. In my day there may be two or three pictures and the material was limited to what was in the text book. Classroom technology allows the student experience to be larger than I could have ever imagined.
Parents and teachers also communicate using technology. First parents can check on their child’s progress using Mygradebook.com which gives the parent real time information. Next E-Mail allows parents and teachers to address student or school issues in an expedited or real time basis. The old “I am going to call your parent” goes to another level when the teacher can send an email from class. But most importantly, when a student is out, the teacher can email the class discussion and assignment that day. Our children can even email questions to their teachers and take the classroom experience beyond the physical building.
Investment in technology and software is a priority. Computers were a novelty when I was in school. Today they are a necessary tool of everyday students, with children beginning use at earlier stages every year. This is not true just in Fayette County or in the United States; computer proficiency worldwide is surging with the US technology advantage shrinking. Our children need the skills and education to make them competitive in the local and international market. It is unfathomable to me that Fayette can even consider removing computers when other systems are adding and upgrading each year using an E-SPLOST.

Neil Sulivan
Co_Chair Fayette Citizens for Children
www.yesfayetteESPLOST.org