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    • ASSUMPTIONS, ASSUMPTIONS

    Filed at 9:26 am under by dcobranchi

    Does everyone in MI have broadband access at home. Their state Board of Education seems to think so:

    The Michigan State Board of Education is set to approve a new graduation requirement today that would make every high-school student in the state take at least one online course before receiving a diploma.

    The new requirement would appear to be the first of its kind in the nation. Mike Flanagan, the Michigan state superintendent of public instruction, said he proposed the online-course requirement, along with other general requirements, to make sure students were prepared for college and for jobs, which are becoming more technology-focused.

    And what about the kids who don’t have internet access at home? Is the state going to provide a computer and pay for an ISP for every single g-schooler in the state? That’d be a rather expensive undertaking. The plan would have to be approved by the legislature. and the governor. I’d guess there’s about a zero percent chance of that happening. (via Joanne Jacobs)

    3 comments »

    3 Responses to “ASSUMPTIONS, ASSUMPTIONS”


    Comment by
    Su
    December 24th, 2005
    at 9:43 am

    The chance is 100%, my dear Daryl! The state I live in has ALREADY approved giving computers to every school child.

    Comment by
    Daryl Cobranchi
    December 24th, 2005
    at 10:34 am

    Capital vs. fixed costs. A $1000 laptop is a one time (sort of) expense. Providing an internet connection would be $10 to $50 per month for 9 months out of the year. Cyber charter schools can do this because they don’t have the B&M to maintain. Adding these expenses to the B&M schools would break the bank.

    Comment by
    Andrea
    December 24th, 2005
    at 2:26 pm

    They’re doing it here too. A pilot program for 7th graders with laptops are in effect. Online courses are now available at the high school level (Don’t stay at home! Don’t drop out! Keep our numbers up!) although they are not a requirement – yet.
    The premier’s (he’s like a governor) mandate here in NB is to have a high-tech education for our children so “we” can compete on the world market, and we have something to replace traditional industries that are dwindling. Even he wants everyone to have computers and high-speed internet at home or easily accessable. Every school and library here has an access center for $1/hour. There’s plenty of promotion about how students here are using things like video conferencing and Smart Boards to somehow improve something or other.

    The problem with his logic is that the only “high-tech” jobs that are here in our province are… (wait for it) CALL CENTERS. And recently (I can’t find a link) a study came out that said a full 60% of people in our province have trouble reading.