Wednesday, 10 March 2010

Computers - and schools !

The Digital Education Revolution ( DER ) plan to equip every year 9 student with his or her personal laptop computer was a bold step away from merely having computers in the classrooms.

Unfortunately the need for " control " that is at the heart of the education bureaucracy is restricting the use of these computers by imposing restrictions on downloads and barring the installation of additional software.

Each laptop comes with $5500 worth of Microsoft and Adobe software already installed. Additional software is blocked unless it is on a list approved by DER - and this prevents students researching subjects that may well lead to future employment goals.

The invention of computers and the world wide web opened research avenues not possible in the days of paper books. It brought freedom to roam into every area of knowledge - and surely that was the intention of putting computers into the hands of students.

These restrictions now divide our kids into two categories. Those who must rely on their DER supplied computer for all their needs - and those who live in a home with access to the family computer - which can go places that the DER model can not go.

Time for a re-think on those restrictions !

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