LCPS Educational Technology Plan

This week the School Board was introduced to the 2010-15 Loudoun County Public Schools Educational Technology Plan, which includes purchasing digital devices, or tablet technology, for students. The School Board will vote on the plan at its Aug. 9 meeting

http://www.boarddocs.com/vsba/loudoun/Board.nsf/files/8J2R836BB115/$file/Tech%20Plan%202010-2015.pdf

 

I'm sure the tablets will be great. It would be nice, though, if some of that money could be spent on something else. I guess it's a tired old argument that people use for everything (the whole "we could use the money in better ways" thing), but as an assistant teacher who can't even afford to live in the county where I teach...it would be nice to make a few cents more an hour or pay less in insurance. Tablets just seem kind of unnecessary in most cases. We use one in our special education class and it's great, but I don't think every kid needs one.

 

I have heard of teachers having to pay for school supplies out of their own pockets and yet we want to spend hundreds of thousands on technology that really doesn't do anything but keep up with the Jones? How about this? Instead of spending all this money on technology why don't we spend it on better education. For example, the restroom sign I saw in BWHS said "Boy's" room not "Boys'" or even "Boys". No amount of electronic white boards and tablets will help that.

Good teachers and not toys will get you the best education.

 

Send an email or letter to the school board and let them know how you feel.

 

My 2 cents: There are companies (Discovery) that are making electronic copies of all the textbooks. Get rid of the paper books, give every kid a laptop that they have to return. It's much easier to update the information, it's accessible all the time, one laptop, all the books they ever wanted, saves backs too.

For teachers and school supplies....at the ES level, we parents are tapped constantly for more of this or that, and you can clearly see the stockpiles in the classrooms. We supply everything, short of textbooks.

How much do teachers pay for insurance? And how does it compare to the private sector? I know my sister has insurance for life, somehow that doesn't seem right to me, especially in CA where she is. The state is bankrupt because of policies like this.

I'll agree that the boards are a giant waste of money. Question...All the money that Target donates to schools, and WalMart and every other business, where does that money actually go?? Does anyone know?

 

I pay $60 a month in insurance as a single person/assistant teacher, and I don't get it for life. Also, our copays for prescription meds can be pretty ridiculous sometimes. $60 might not seem like much, but it's a lot when you're living on $14/hour in Loudoun County!

 

Another taxpayer boondoggle...

 

To the tune of almost 200 million too. Problem with living in the richest county in the country, we are easy pickings for the local politicians because they think we can easily afford it.

 

Amen.

 

I'm all for technology, but I certainly would prefer that money be spent on more teachers. 26 kids in a 2nd grade classroom in the aforementioned richest county is unacceptable.

 

i agree!

 

I don't have kids in the school system here (yet...) so you can take whatever I say with a grain of salt on this.

I'd rather see the money spent on teachers than on tech. Kids are careless, the tech will just get lost/stolen/destroyed, plus it will cost extra to have IT staff to maintain it.

I had digital material for my MBA from '03-'06 and it was by no means cheap. Harvard wanted $ for their content, even though it cost pennies to reproduce. You had an option to buy a locked-down unprintable 200 page PDF for around $100 or a printed copy for about $120.

I read "tablets" earlier in this thread, I'm not sure if this also refers to the "smartboards" for every classroom which were discussed a few months ago for a pretty significant cost. I lump them in the same category - nice to have, but the ROI just isn't there.

 

Loudoun Luddites spend $300 million on airport parking garages and scoff and crow over $200 million to bring advanced technology into class rooms. The world has changed, lead, follow or get out of the way. I applaud the decision and tip my cap to Hatrick for being a leader. Thank you Sir.

 

I hear you, Shim. But it doesn't much matter if my 8 year old has a tablet to learn on if his teacher can barely pay any attention to him. One without the other has no value.

 

26 kids is TOO much in a 2nd grade classroom. I think teachers WHO can teach very well is worth MORE than a technology item any day in my book. Technology can only go so far. Throwing $$$ at technology in my eyes doesn't mean that the kids will be smarter in the long run. Technology itself doesn't "teach"..its just a tool. The teachers are the ones who actively teach!!!

Im getting tired of our county being singled out as being the richest in Virginia so these politicians can say "well, we can always hit up the taxpayers for more $$$ to buy this and that." They are forgetting that many of us have other obligations to pay too and not ALL of us have gotten raises or have but got very small ones. Sure we do make good money but we also have higher costs of living here compared to other areas of Virginia and parts of the nation. Our water rates have gone up this month and other costs of business have gone up too. We are being asked to pay for this and that leaving little left for our own families.

Just sayin'

 

I know that our elementary school PTA pays for:

• Field trips
• Cultural arts assemblies
• After school enrichment programs
• DARE program t-shirts
• Presidential fitness program t-shirts
• Classroom magazine subscriptions
• Study Island software
• Steps to Literacy program
• Instructional support items
• Other items by parental/school request such as playground upgrades, cameras, microphones, chorus materials, etc.

Part of the funding for these things comes from:

• Grocery card membership rewards (Giant, Harris Teeter, Bloom)
• Target card membership rewards
• Box Tops for Education program
• Goodsearch/Goodshop program
• Amazon.com rewards
• Capri Sun package recycling
• Ink cartridge recycling
• After School Enrichment Programs
• Spirit wear sales
• PTA membership
• Direct donations

Budget information for LCPS can be found online.