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| Photo Credit: Aron Balogh |
Last week I sat in a conference room
with parents educators and PTA members from 4 different districts in
my state and several schools. We were all there ready to hear a
presentation from the State Dept of Ed. concerning how in the next
coming year the standardized tests that the kids in my district, heck
the whole state take would soon be administered completely online.
Yes no more scan-trons (eventually) or essays to be sent to a scorer
in another state and returned 6 weeks later. The plan is for students
to sit at a computer and take these tests. Depending on where your
school is this news made you feel
Excited
Scared
Confused
I was on the interested and borderline
excited but looking around the room and the followup questions
thru-out the presentation I was more aware that many others were not
feeling as I was.
Like I said earlier I was there with
people from various schools and various districts. The move to online
only is not mandatory for next year, it will be available but the
guess is it will take a few years to get everyone in the state on it.
Why so long? The same reason why some of the people in the room were
scared. There are schools in this state that don't have the capacity
to implement this.
Most people think of the digital divide
in terms of at home, the haves and have nots with computers and
internet access. C1 got her own laptop as a pre 8th grade
present so she could do her assignments. I have high-speed internet
at home, her laptop is set up so she has bookmarked access to all her
teacher's blackboard sites, videos explaining math concepts, links to
the library online catalog so she can put a book on hold to pick up
later or search the databases. This is also where all her textbooks
are. Every signal class she's in has an online textbook. Lighter
backpack? Nope she frequently has 4 or more library books in her bag
at any given time using that now free space. The thing is her having
her own laptop or at least easy home access to a family computer in
her school is pretty normal. We fit right in. Her school has SMART
boards, and computers in all the classes anywhere from 4 to a full
set for the room. When we are out around my neighborhood its not unusual to see several children walking around with jump drives on lanyards around their necks. We even have 2 schools in the district who are in
the One-to-one program where every child is given a laptop to check
out and take home for the school year. This is my normal. This wasn't
everyone else in the rooms normal. One person spoke up asking how to
do it when they have computers for maybe 1/3 of the school. Another
just got a bunch of machines but they are still being set up so its
not known that ratio of computer to student. Some are in very rural
districts so even library access is a pretty good drive away and
there may not be public transportation to get to it without a car.
And that's when I hit me.
The state is moving forward but not
everyone can keep up and those children are losing. One school is
stressing writing at the same grade level another is past that and
teaching PowerPoint. Both are important but one has the tools to move
forward. We talked about keyboarding a middle school or high school
elective in some districts an elementary class in others. I've always
made a point to pay attention to my district and how funds are spread
and how the top in the district compares to the bottom but I never
thought much of the districts that touch mine or are 2 hours away.
How is it that what I see as a school that needs improvement in my
district might be the top tier in another. It makes my head hurt
thinking about it. We all get a share of the pie, a split of the
lottery but what's making some dramatic differences? I don't know
what to do about it other then talking with others, making contacts
with neighboring districts and sharing ideas. They are trying to keep
up with the Joneses. I just wasn't aware the Joneses were me.
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