Many people complain about the education of our children in the United States. Some comments we hear over and over again are that our children are falling behind, we used to be the best but now among the educated children of the world we are way behind. The key phrase in that statement is "among the educated children of the world".
In the United States we make every effort to educate every child who is born in the United States. Their parents do not even have to be legal residents. We offer thirteen years of free education to every child no matter how poor or rich their parents are. Most of the countries of the world do not offer this to even most of their children must less to all of them.
What does this have to do with the use of technology and education via the Internet and the world wide web you ask? Ask people like Bill Gates. Computers which are run on solar power and linked to satellites are being distributes to small villages in remote parts of Kenya and other very poor African countries. The children and adults are being educated through the World Wide Web with the use of these computers.
Recently we had the opportunity to purchase one of these computers with a buy one for yourself and one would be sent to one of the African communities. My initial reaction was these people had more pressing needs like water, food and better shelter but we Americans are sending them computers instead. I read quite a few articles and came to change my opinion.
Education is the basis for our country. It was a basic concept that Thomas Jefferson firmly believed in. If our great country is based on education of the masses it seems that we should also support the education of the masses in the rest of the world.
Through the wonders of the World Wide Web and the Internet these African villages can be exposed to a whole world that they would not know about otherwise. They can be educated not only at an K-12 level but even beyond. Once a hunger for knowledge has been awakened it is hard to fill the appetite.
Educated people form educated societies, which form more school,business and so on and so on. It is now my opinion that distributing computer to villagers who have no electricity or running water can be liked to the parable of giving a man a fish and feeding him for a day. Isn't it better to teach(educate) him to fish and feed himself and others for a life time.
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We all have the same amount of hours in a day. It's what we do with them that sets us apart.
5 comments:
With all the learning resources that are available on the Web, providing them with computers definitely has a lot of possibilities. I'm curious how they use them. What kind of limits do language barriers place on the effectiveness of these computers? What is done to work around that?
I appreciate your global perspective on the issue of educational technology. It makes me wonder if the computers that are being distributed to other countries are ultimately being used for good, or are they finding ways to use them for not-so-positive purposes. I also wonder if this initiative might be a way to lead these countries into adapting compulsory education, as we have in the US.
You make a very good point about spreading education across our country, and the world, using the internet. I feel the same way about sending computers to poor countries as I do about using the internet in our classrooms: just providing a resource isn't enough. I think that such a wonderful tool can only be meaningful if people take the time to make sure it is used correctly, effectively, and provide follow-up services. The program you mentioned sounds great, I just hope that they offer training along with technology.
I think this is a great perspective! I completely agree with your last couple lines. People who come from educated homes have a definite advantage from those who do not. The computer will allow one generation to be more educated, then their children will more likely become educated also and the old cycle will be broken. Yes, I think there will be problems with languages and training, but no matter what it cannot hurt.
I would like to know how you found out about the project and were able to join in the buy one for and have one provided to someone in a "third world" country. I think it's a very admirable program--it's a great thing that we want to educate all people, whether they are in the US or not. I think a lot of us would be interested in this program--are you able to communicate with any of the reciptants?
Margie
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