CMS And The Digital Dive
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is getting ready to plunge into the deep end of the technology pool this year, having shelled out upward of $6 million for all schools to sport wireless Internet access, along with spending about $5 million to provide iPads and training for select teachers and administrators to help facilitate academic excellence.
The Board of Education, meanwhile, has slated a public hearing for Aug. 15 on revisions to the district’s student Internet use policy, to be voted on during the same meeting, which will allow students to use their own smartphones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, and e-readers in classrooms.
The hope is that students will use the devices as learning tools, leading to new and creative ways to enhance academics. How’s that working out across the country? This from CNSNews:
A record 31.1 percent of American high school students in 2011 spent three hours or more on the average school day playing video or computer games or using a computer for something other than school work, says a recent report published by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Also, 32.4 percent of high school students watched three or more hours of television on the average school day.
In the last two years there has been a large increase in the former number. In 2009, according to the CDC report, only 24.9 percent of American high school students spent three hours or more per day playing video or computer games or using a computer for something that was not school work. By 2011, according to the CDC, that percentage had jumped to 31.1 percent.
…
Among the 21 large urban school districts included in the survey, Philadelphia had the highest prevalence of high school students—45.8 percent—who watched three or more hours of television on the average school day. Seattle, with 22.7 percent, had the lowest prevalence.
New York City had the highest percentage of students—43.9 percent—spending three or more hours on the average school day playing video or computer games or using a computer for something other than school work. Seattle, with 28.2 percent, had the lowest.
Not to worry, though; I’m sure CMS – what with its embattled top brass from the department charged with overseeing the digital-learning leap having recently abandoned ship – will have a rock-solid plan in place to ensure that students won’t be abusing the tech gizmos they’ll be bringing to class, or to prevent teachers from having to waste valuable classroom time making sure of the same.
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