Life after high school
Theresa Davidson, Superintendent, Emporia Public Schools
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
The passing of Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, last month caused a nation to pause and reflect upon the impact of technology on our lives. His ingenuity and foresight challenged and inspired a generation of teachers and administrators through the technology revolution – a phenomenon that our current students can and do take for granted.
Our district is in the midst of healthy debate over the level of technology we can and should provide to assure that Emporia students are truly ready to compete in the college and career opportunities ahead of them. Someone once said to me, “Ask your grandmother what she absolutely could not live without; she’d likely say, don’t take away my washing machine. My mom might try to hold onto her microwave.” People of my generation would be lost without a computer in tow. But for students today instant connectivity through cell phones, media players, tablets and other wireless devices is as vital as having electricity and water at the flip of a switch or turn of the faucet.
Last week, the board of education took a crucial next step in assuring that our wireless network can accommodate the growing number of personal wireless devices fast becoming necessary instructional tools for students and staff members. The request to invest in a more robust, managed wireless infrastructure came as a result of months of deliberation over the priorities, costs, options, restrictions, and an examination of the myriad of devices that now fight for a limited spot on our current aging network.
Unlike the asphalt highways that bring products and services to our community, the updated internet highway will be virtually invisible. Yet students, teachers and parents will realize dramatic changes in the way they access information, demonstrate and produce the products of their learning, and interact with the world around them.
Schools cannot adequately prepare students to succeed in the world of personal and work-related tools without affording them opportunities to experience the wonder of this rapidly changing technology. As responsible stewards of our precious and limited resources, we must find efficient and creative ways to do that!
The network improvements will be completed in phases over the next two years. Although the upfront cost will initially come from district funds such as capital outlay, we anticipate that the majority of the project will qualify for federal E-Rate reimbursement. E-Rate is the commonly used term for the Schools and Libraries Program of the Universal Service Fund. The program which provides funding to help schools and libraries obtain affordable telecommunications and Internet access, is one of four support programs funded through the Universal Service fee we all see on our telephone bill each month. Since 1998, the Emporia School District has received more than $1.5 million to support communications technology.
Our current network capacity requires that our policies impose limits on users in an effort to control access to browser-based tools and assure that users experience as little frustration as possible when trying to access and stay connected to the internet. The new, enhanced network will automatically balance internet traffic and facilitate continuous connectivity throughout the buildings and the district. This more robust wireless infrastructure will allow us to ease into a world of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) where students and staff members can truly take advantage of the many and varied tools that become personal to each individual’s preference and style to do the work of teachers and learners.
Instead of restricting use, we can begin to emphasize open, responsible use of technology and teach skills that enable students to safely and ethically discern authentic, secure information. The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requires that we keep students safe from online dangers, yet our more daunting task is to help them learn how to do that for themselves.
A robust and stable wireless network may be just one small step for our school district, but it affords a leap of gigantic proportions for Emporia students in the years ahead. It makes possible the things that visionaries such as Steve Jobs can imagine for our children’s future.
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
Steve Job's last words.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw...
November 2, 2011 at 2:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
All this talk of technology amid tonight's news report that Shanghai students came in #1 in international test scores. U.S. students scored 14th in Reading, 17th in Science, and 25th in Math.
The single most common reason given for the success of Shanghai students? Attitude. They love going to school and they love to learn.
I wonder if they are as habitually connected to video games as U.S. kids are? Cell phones?
The Shanghai high school kids interviewed spoke perfect English.
I don't know about any of you, but I have one grandchild I can hardly understand half the time and I am always asking her to rephrase and slow down. She hates it and so do I.
November 2, 2011 at 6:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
The grass is greener on the other side until you get there and then it's usualy astroturf.
November 3, 2011 at 12:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
Very good point create and I am amazed as I go to pick up young people to show them houses, they are out of school but, are obsessed with video games and one guy had a divorce over it, he would stay up and play video games and no wonder the younger generation isn't paying attention, although I am impressed with the support of Ron Paul by many of the college kids.
November 3, 2011 at 12:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ZaneRokklyn (anonymous) says...
While I support the public schools and the intent of the letter above, I wonder at the example of Steve Jobs. He did not learn about computers in high school, and he dropped out of college. He's not an example of good formal education, he's an example of good parenting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jo...
So by all means the schools should hold up his example... for the parents!
November 3, 2011 at 9:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )