$650 million for educational technology, such as computers in classrooms.
That doesn't count various incentive programs, teacher training, and building modernization. But those things are not explicitly slated for a tech budget and certainly would include and involve many non-tech things.
I'm no economist, but I think that a stimulus bill that provides only a minuscule of its resources towards the future of technology in education is more than shortsighted. Think about it: as of the 2007 data collected by IES, there were some 34.6 million students in public pre-K through grade 8 alone. Regarding a $650 million investment in technology, that comes out to less than $20 per student.
Am I missing something? Has Apple developed a new iCheap laptop that only the federal government knows about?
I'm already in line outside the Mall of America Apple Store in Bloomington, Minnesota to be one of the first to get my hands on an iCheap. At $20, I'll spend $600 of my own money to outfit my classroom.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who brings me a slice of cheese pizza from Pizza Villa gets a hug. I'll be the one propped up against the glass wall with my sleeping bag.
Oh, I'm gonna need a large lemonade too. And someone to save my spot for a trip to the restroom.
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