The greatest need I’ve observed in middle schools and even high schools is our student’s lack of basic keyboarding skills. Seriously, if we are talking “an ideal technology situation” then we need to begin in the “Head Start” programs and preschool! Implementation of a lesson on the ABC’s would be with the use of brightly colored keyboards with really big keys. High-speed Internet connections would be a must. Haven’t we all witnessed the kid with ADHD having to wait, and wait, while the computer loads at the speed of…well, certainly not lightning. And in this ideal technological world standardized testing would be gone. Student’s achievement would be based on their actual yearly progress, which would be easily accessed via this technology.

I’m amazed at just thinking on the possibilities that could be offered through computer programming. Imagine a computer application that could sort of self-program as the student progresses through his/her interaction with the technology. As the student inputs information (in whatever form) the program can “decide” on what choices to put forth to the student. I don’t mean like the really good programs we have now, for example Carnegie Math, Key Train, Compass Learning or some other kind of NWEA style learning program (all of which I hold in high regard), but some kind of extremely flexible application that could take a child from a basic interest in, for example grooming horses, all the way to the strategies and physics of horse racing. The students are leading their own higher-order thinking. “To infinity and beyond” (Lightyear, Buzz).

I may be digressing from the point of this assignment, but I want to comment on the statistics regarding the home/school acquisition of technology. “School helps to equalize the disparity that would otherwise exist in computer and Internet use among the various household income categories”. I just do not believe this. I know the study was in 2002, but the authors seem to say that the percentage of overall computer use has probably gone up. That I do agree with, but I think most educators would see a larger disparity between income levels now. I’ll look into it and let you know what I find out.