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Friday, September 15, 2006
Billions Spent on Schools
Something that's been on my mind since yesterday's post:
Could someone from the Government tell us just what was the point in spending billions on high tech tools when we don't even have the tools to make the kids sit still?
7 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Absolutely it makes it look like the Government is doing something to address the problem that a sizable percentage of children leave school as unemployable illerates. What on earth made you think there was any other point to it?
The reality is the ever increasing numbers of illiterates leaving schools are not "victims" of the system and they didn't "fall through the cracks". No, they are the proud products of a system that allows pupils to get GCSE English while exhibiting a total lack of awareness of rudimentary, spelling, grammar, punctuation or even basic meaning. A system that gives pupils FOUR GCSE passes for Intermediate GNVQ's that are as academically challenging as putting on a hat. And, finally, a system that is creating sociopathic, self-obsessed monsters by the trainload. GHENGIS
Computers have their place. I have found my own net-connected PC in my nice new refurbished office to be really useful. It has saved me a great deal of time in many of the tasks that I have done so far this term.
If you are referring to their advantages in education, meaning children should know more than they would have done following a lesson with the same objectives but without computers then I am not so sure. I have found them to be useful, but only in very specific contexts. In most cases, a lesson using PCs must make use of high quality software directly relating to the subject specification. Without such software its a good doss for the kids, but a waste of time in educational terms. In my experience such software is very thin on the ground.
7 comments:
Absolutely it makes it look like the Government is doing something to address the problem that a sizable percentage of children leave school as unemployable illerates. What on earth made you think there was any other point to it?
I think the official phrase is "fiddling while Rome burns"
My chief concern with teenagers in the school system in the UK, is their apparent difficulty with the English language.
Also they are all trying desperately to speak, dress and walk as if they are native to Los Angeles (USA) - even the Asians. This is most disarming.
The reality is the ever increasing numbers of illiterates leaving schools are not "victims" of the system and they didn't "fall through the cracks". No, they are the proud products of a system that allows pupils to get GCSE English while exhibiting a total lack of awareness of rudimentary, spelling, grammar, punctuation or even basic meaning. A system that gives pupils FOUR GCSE passes for Intermediate GNVQ's that are as academically challenging as putting on a hat. And, finally, a system that is creating sociopathic, self-obsessed monsters by the trainload.
GHENGIS
Computers have their place. I have found my own net-connected PC in my nice new refurbished office to be really useful. It has saved me a great deal of time in many of the tasks that I have done so far this term.
If you are referring to their advantages in education, meaning children should know more than they would have done following a lesson with the same objectives but without computers then I am not so sure. I have found them to be useful, but only in very specific contexts. In most cases, a lesson using PCs must make use of high quality software directly relating to the subject specification. Without such software its a good doss for the kids, but a waste of time in educational terms. In my experience such software is very thin on the ground.
AC
What, no duct tape?
Canes cost nowt.
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