It seems the Southwest Parke schools are the latest to play the laptop lottery game.
The Trib-Star reports (See Sue Loughlin, “Schools transitioning to digital curriculum,” Jan. 29, 2012) that the SW Parke schools are moving toward a digital curriculum. The story concludes with this:
“Use of digital curriculum will be one component, ‘a small part,’ of teacher evaluations, [Kyle] Kersey [Riverton Parke assistant principal] said.”
I looked carefully but full dollar cost estimates of support equipment, service upkeep, specialized tutors and administration, space allotments, workshops, staff time and costs of downtime were not covered in this article.
The price tag on this wild blue yonder shift will certainly be high enough to call into question that last line in the story, the one about, “Use of digital curriculum will be one component, ‘a small part,’ of teacher evaluations.”
Who would doubt in these times of spurious “accountability” in all things educational that someone in a green eye shade hasn’t worked out the metrics (ugly word, that) of the whole shebang. In schools, performance, production and payoffs, the Three P’s, have eclipsed the old-fashioned Three R’s.
My criticisms here are not about the SW Parke initiative alone. They’re just part of the grinding, aimless wagon train heading down the digital ghost road. All agree it’s an “extremely exciting” trail. One student described the road ahead as “awesome,” or as she might put it in a Twitter composition, AWSM.
With this kind of momentum and with big money involved, few want to hear that the reliance on tech leads away from, not toward, student development in terms of comprehension in reading, attention to detail, development of effective memory skills, and the understanding and critical use of information (as opposed to mechanistic data retrieval and manipulation).
However, here is a reason to scream, to march, to move out of the SW Parke district if you have kids: “‘Books won’t completely go away,’ [Rachel] Porter [the district’s digital curriculum integration specialist] said. ‘We don’t feel it’s a best practice to say we’ll never use a book. But, we don’t want to be reliant on a static paper textbook, so we’re trying to get away from that.’”
I take umbrage with any and all who feel/think/state in public that a book (even a textbook) is “static paper.”
It’s true, you might not be able to wave your finger or a mouse across the page in a book and make that page do visual tricks. It’s also true that kids get real good at those tricks, real fast.
But what kids in and out of school need to do more of is to allow the power of reading to wash through their minds. Students of all kinds are best served when their powers of attention and patience are fostered and developed. Curiosity grows when sentences in books on “static paper” challenge young people.
There is a world beyond programmed apps and digitized data, white boards and e(non)Books. It’s a world of miraculous and lasting depth. The tech trail compromises and diminishes this world.
— Gary W. Daily
Terre Haute
Flashpoint
FLASHPOINT: Tech trail leading us into a dense, digital forest
- Flashpoint
-
-
FLASHPOINT: A legislative session of missed opportunities
Given the nature of politicians, grand claims of accomplishments and overblown rhetoric about “historic” efforts are to be expected at the close of any legislative session.
-
FLASHPOINT: Again in 2013 General Assembly, middle class generally ignored
Last year, the people of Indiana entrusted the Republican Party with some of their most precious possessions.
-
FLASHPOINT: Indiana lawmakers reinforced school safety mechanisms
Nothing is more important to me than the safety of my children. Every parent has felt that instant, apprehensive rush when their child plays too close to the street or falls down while playing soccer and it is our responsibility as parents to implement every safety mechanism we can muster to protect our kids.
-
FLASHPOINT: Lessons from the legacy media — get it right, first
Enough mistakes and maybe we’ll learn: When in doubt, leave it out.
-
FLASHPOINT: Hoosiers got steady hand in recent session
As the General Assembly began its work last November, as Speaker of the House, I pledged a renewed spirit of bipartisanship with legislators working together to solve our state’s most pressing challenges. As this year’s legislative session concludes, representatives from throughout the state — Republican and Democrat — have joined together to address those issues at the forefront of Hoosier minds: maintaining our state’s fiscal integrity, spurring job creation and expanding education opportunities for every Hoosier family.
-
FLASHPOINT: Time has arrived for overhaul of TV news
Former FCC Chairman Alfred Sikes gave an address in 1992 in which he claimed television news was too superficial and too focused on visuals.
-
FLASHPOINT: Fiscal cliff, Obamacare have already raised taxes enough
Our history is rich with stories of people who have immigrated to the United States for a chance at the American Dream. The American Dream, in its truest form, is the opportunity to achieve success by working hard and playing by the rules; to make it on your own and to say, “I earned this.”
-
FLASHPOINT: Expanding Medicaid coverage makes sense for Indiana
Since last summer’s U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act effectively gave states the option to expand Medicaid, policymakers across the country have debated if and how to extend health programs to millions of uninsured Americans.
-
FLASHPOINT: Improve public education, stop experimenting with it
In January, the four of us who serve as the Democrats on the House Education Committee outlined our hopes for the 2013 session of the Indiana General Assembly, particularly in joining with Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz to offer common sense solutions to improve the quality of education for our children. With the halfway point of this session past us, we remain optimistic that positive steps can be taken … but that optimism is tempered by the reality that education policies are being directed by a legislative majority that has a radically different agenda.
-
Healthcare law anniversary no reason for celebration
March 23 marked three years since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law, yet this is not an anniversary that deserves celebration.
-
FLASHPOINT: Defending state’s authority is attorney general’s obligation
The law of the land recognizes the authority of states to license marriage.
-
FLASHPOINT: Stability key for state’s future
Hoosiers have the unique luxury of being the fiscal envy of the nation due to the sound fiscal policies of the last eight years.
-
FLASHPOINT: House budget offers Medicaid solution for Indiana
This week, my U.S. House Budget Committee colleagues and I introduced a federal budget resolution for fiscal year 2014. Our budget is a responsible plan that stops spending money and balances in 10 years — largely through making key reforms to drivers of our debt like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
-
FLASHPOINT: Problem gambling in Indiana: A new understanding of community concern
The week of March 3 was designated as National Problem Gambling Awareness Week.
-
FLASHPOINT: Eastern time in Indiana defies common sense
Nobody complains more than Hoosiers about changing their clocks. And there’s a valid reason — daylight-savings time in Indiana’s Eastern Time Zone is painful.
-
Praying for civil resolution to debate over gun control
Guns are lively ammunition for passionate debate these days.
-
FLASHPOINT: It’s not too late to expand health services
This week, state leaders euthanized the biggest, boldest Hoosier jobs proposal of the 2013 session of the Indiana General Assembly.
-
FLASHPOINT: You can’t go back again — and that’s OK
Our progressive colleagues have been telling us for years that the 1950s were a horrid time.
-
FLASHPOINT: The fierce urgency of now — nation needs to protect youth
The alcohol-fueled alleged serial rape of a 16-year-old Ohio girl by two of her similarly impaired classmates — not to mention the drunken videotaped commentary of others — points yet again to the imperative that adult America renews its commitment to address as a true national community those issues that most threaten the health, safety and forward development of youth.
-
FLASHPOINT: A pastor speaks out against Sullivan’s ‘traditional prom’
I am a pastor in Sullivan, Ind., and I am outraged.
Recently, two young students applied to walk the Grand March together in the school prom in Sullivan. -
FLASHPOINT: 0wning firearms is a First Amendment exercise, too
Following the hysteria generated by gun prohibitionists in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, a nationwide rush on gun stores began as citizens bought semiautomatic modern sporting rifles, handguns and ammunition, in effect “making a political statement” about proposals to ban such firearms.
-
FLASHPOINT: Maintaining the priority
Recently a newspaper article has been written about a change in the by-laws of the Indiana High School Athletic Association which speaks directly to attempted undue influence exerted upon students below the level of grade nine and their parents.
-
FLASHPOINT: The fairness of marriage
What is the current Indiana law concerning marriage? Our state defines marriage in a singular way — between a man and a woman.
-
FLASHPOINT: We ask state legislators to abide by their oath of office
All of us relish giving unsolicited advice to our elected representatives.
-
FLASHPOINT: Mentoring is having major impact on public education
While managing local utility services, Mike Martin found a new way to energize his community, and students are starting to benefit.
-
FLASHPOINT: Common Core standards should be common sense
Years ago, when state officials and education experts came together to create new model standards for schools, they probably never expected it to be controversial.
-
FLASHPOINT: Milestone year for Rose-Hulman
The Rose-Hulman campus traditionally quiets down this time of year, yet for me I sense a renewed energy from the phenomenal year just closing.
-
FLASHPOINT: ISU’s reasoning flawed in flight school planning
ISU and the taxpayers of Indiana and Vigo County are being led down a path of deception once again.
-
FLASHPOINT: Incessant attacks on Christianity by the ACLU
It is obviously apparent that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is continuing its onslaught against religious freedom in the United States.
-
FLASHPOINT: Americans deserve more value for their tax dollars
While traveling the 8th District and listening to fellow Hoosiers during my first term in Congress, I have reached the conclusion that many constituents do not believe they are getting value for the tax dollars that come out of their paychecks and are sent to Washington, D.C.
- More Flashpoint Headlines
-
FLASHPOINT: A legislative session of missed opportunities
Raw: Tornadoes Spotted in Kansas
Tornadoes, Storms Strike Midwest
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
Raw: Heavy Tornado Damage in Shawnee, Okla
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
'Babyland': Camp Lejeune's Toxic Legacy?
AP CEO: Records Seizure 'Unconstitutional'
Fatal Hot Air Balloon Accident in Turkey
Obama Exhorts Good Deeds by Morehouse Graduates
Winning Powerball Ticket Sold in Florida
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Today in History for May 19th
Raw: Accused US Spy Reportedly Leaves Russia
One Million Evacuated As Cyclone Hits Bangladesh
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Raw: Germany Protestors Picket Barbie House
ABC Stars React to Jolie News
Today in History for May 20th
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
RAW: Russian dash cam catches car 20 feet in the air
Singer Miguel Accidentally Lands on Fan At Billboard Music Awards
Who is $600M Powerball winner in Fla.?
Justin Bieber Gets Booed After Winning at the Billboard Awards
Singer forgets lyrics, makes up words to National Anthem
Top 5 Plays of the Day
Sailor Surprises His Mom At Her CU Denver Graduation Ceremony
Twiggy, the Waterskiing Squirrel
Official: ‘Amazing’ No One Was Killed In CT Train Crash
Coffee Stop Leads To Arrest Of YouTube Sensation Wanted For Murder
Bearded Dragon Reunited With Owner
Marine Reunited with Warzone Companion
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Beyonce Is Pregnant!
SF baseball player overpaid $500,000 RETURNS money -- and team says KEEP IT
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
Dad returns from Afghanistan, surprises family during Rays' first pitch
