THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, January 16, 1996 TAG: 9601160007
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Another View
SOURCE: By GEORGE E. SCHAEFER
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
When I was growing up, there was a family down the street with four teenage daughters and one bathroom. Mornings required a schedule that rivaled Amtrak. Even then, getting out of the house on time each day was reportedly a struggle. In a situation like that, only two solutions exist: fewer daughters or more bathrooms.
I sense the same kind of problem when I hear the political battle cry for ``a computer in every classroom.'' General Assembly Democrats campaigned on this issue, and Gov. George F. Allen, in his budget plan, has jumped on the bandwagon, too. It all sounds wonderful. Children happily surfing the Internet, expanding their knowledge, and parents thrilled that ``the Next Wave'' will not bypass their offspring. However, the reality is something entirely different.
Imagine this equation: 1 teacher + 1 computer + 25 children (EQ) x. Does x (EQ) learning? When I was teaching geography at Granby High School a few years ago, I had one computer available for my class of 25 students. This meant 25 pairs of hands and eyes for one keyboard and one monitor screen. At best, this was a challenging situation.
Back then I came across a wonderful computer game, ``Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?'' It was the perfect companion for teaching geography. Despite the lack of computer hardware, I decided to forge ahead and introduce my students to the wonders of the computer age. I split the class into five teams of five students each. The goal was to work together as a team to capture the elusive Carmen. With its eye-catching graphics and interactive demands, I thought it would be a hit with the students.
Unfortunately, with only one computer, I spent most of my time juggling the demands of the five students at the computer and 20 others anxiously awaiting their turn on the IBM.
The only thing we truly learned was that we needed more than one computer. I soon realized how that father of four teenage daughters felt each morning.
The public is hooked on computers, but a computer, for all its benefits, is never going to replace the professional classroom teacher. Simply throwing a computer or two into a classroom is not going to produce learning. If well-meaning politicians want to get truly serious about the use of computers in education, they might consider a different approach.
Instead of mandating a computer in every classroom, ensure that every school in Virginia has a computer lab of 25-30 of the very best computers available. To prevent immediate obsolescence, make sure that each biennial education budget contains enough funding to provide for the latest in software, training and Internet hookups. The availability of a well-stocked, up-to-date, sophisticated computer lab with trained instructors will provide the high-tech education we want for our young people much better than a lone computer in a classroom.
Imagine a schoolhouse where the teacher can take his or her students to a computer lab each week as an adjunct to their lessons. Each child is given the opportunity to sit at his or her own computer work station with a keyboard and a mouse. A well-trained instructor, as well as the classroom teacher, would assist every child in mastering the art of computing. Each computer records the individual child's performance for later assessment by the teachers. Those children who need extra help are then allowed to come in at a later time for additional tutoring.
Some wealthy school districts already have this capacity. Why shouldn't every youngster in Virginia have the same opportunity?
As I recall, the family down the street eventually got a second bathroom. It relieved some but not all of the morning stress. That would never be completely resolved until there was one bathroom for each daughter. Similarly, unless we can place a computer on every child's desk (and the financial cost is prohibitive), will one computer per classroom be the best use of our education money?
Computing is a participation sport. Few of us gather family and friends around to ``watch'' the computer. With computer labs we can ensure that our young people have total ``hands-on'' access to a computer. Otherwise, we're not much better off than that family down the street scheduling a way to share the bathroom. MEMO: Mr. Schaefer is a former candidate for the 86th House of Delegates
District and is chairman of the Norfolk Republican Party. He presently
serves as the Public Affairs Officer for the Norfolk Sheriff's Office.
by CNB