In With the Old in Rochester Schools - MN2020 Hindsight

By Bailey Kennedy, Undergraduate Research Fellow, January 14, 2013 at 11:30 am

The Rochester school district announced Tuesday that it will purchasing $3.8 million in new technology for its schools. Unfortunately, they have not seized the opportunity to bring Rochester schools firmly into the new decade. The money will be used to purchase 4,020 computers, 80 percent of which will be desktops. While the original plan included the purchase of iPod's, this plan was rejected by the state.

While desktops still have a place in schools, their era is quickly passing. It?s fair to say that we don?t yet know what the permanent role of tablets will be in education, and they may turn out to be nothing more than a passing fad. The impulse to play it safe, with technology that educators and institutions know and trust, is understandable. Rochester will probably get computers again in six years; by that time, we?ll probably have a better idea of how iPads impact classroom performance.

But with an investment of this scale, purchasing almost exclusively technology which is rapidly becoming outdated seems like a questionable choice. ?Minnesota has become a leader in education by staying ahead of the pack. If Rochester thinks it has a way to use the technology efficiently in the classroom, the state government should support its efforts. Perhaps Rochester will find funding for the iPad initiative elsewhere, whether the state wants to provide it or not. Still, if the state?s money is going to be used either way, the money should be used to purchase technology that is becoming more relevant, not less relevant.

Technology is an investment, not a trend. And purchasing mobile computers has more than aesthetic value. Laptops give teachers the ability to use computers with their students when computer labs aren?t available, which sometimes is the case due to testing requirements. In Rochester?s case, mobile computing technology like laptops and tablets is part of a district plan to end segregation. Most importantly, though, purchasing the most modern technology available prepares our kids for the technology they will be using as adults in the work force. Whether schools purchase laptops or desktops may seem like a small issue, but in the end, we are doing everyone a disservice by denying schools access to this technology.

Posted in Education | Related Topics: K-12 education? Technology?

Source: http://www.mn2020hindsight.org/view/in-with-the-old-in-rochester-schools

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