If the sentiment expressed in Peha and Lester’s article “Paper, pencil and chalk†(3/6/08) is the same perspective held by our school systems’ administrators, our children are being done a great disservice.
The authors admit “technology has revolutionized almost every aspect of our lives,†yet they conclude “we may all serve children better with paper, pencil and chalk.†They reach this conclusion by arguing that the technology we use isn’t designed for education.
The statement that there is no software appropriate for education is simply false. Peha and Lester offer the proprietary Microsoft Office suite as their only example of how ill-suited technology is for the classroom. I am currently subscribed to 10 blogs whose sole purpose is to discuss creative, easy, usually free educational software tools on a daily basis — and I’m not even a teacher (or an education consultant, for that matter).
Even if it were true that there is no good educational software, where is digital literacy supposed to come from if not in our schools? Do the authors really mean to suggest that it is OK for our students to graduate with no tech skills other than the ability to create a MySpace profile? Almost every growing sector of the economy, outside of the low-wage service industry, requires some kind of technological fluency. Taking technology out of schools is as dangerous to the economic livelihoods of our children as taking sex education out is to their health and safety.
I am well aware that technology itself is not an educational panacea. It must be accompanied by training, continuing support and an adequate budget. These are no small requirements. However, the call to abandon technology initiatives is the wrong response to these challenges. Instead, we must push our elected officials and school administrators to provide teachers with the support they need for successful technology integration. Anything else is just irresponsible.
Mike Nutt
Carrboro