Technology Grants for Supporting Education? 46
citking asks: "I work as one of 12 micro computer technicians for the Madison School District, the second-largest in the state of Wisconsin, and we have a problem: Our support equipment, namely laptops and diagnostic hardware, is falling dangerously behind the times even as our schools receive top of the line technology sponsored mostly by private grants and donations. Our technology budget is small and is being cut back every year, so having the district buy us new laptops is out of the question. I wouldn't mind applying for a grant to cover most, if not all, of the cost of new equipment, but any grants I see directed at education are all directed toward teachers' projects. Are there any grant programs available for support positions in the public sector? If not, how do other support people in the public sector struggle to keep up with low budgets and outdated equipment?"
Follow the money trail... (Score:5, Insightful)
I for one think computers are over-rated as teachers. I also think computers are over-rated as teaching tools. Computers are fantastic as internet search tools, and great for teaching computer programming. Computers are also great for teaching typing, and other computer skills. Teaching someone to be a mouse driver is about as beneficial as teaching them to be a truck driver. Meaning that if your computer is not working for you, you are working for the computer.
Flame away.
Re:Follow the money trail... (Score:3, Interesting)
It's much easier to cry "Our students are suffering because the computers are out of date", than it is to cry "Our teachers are under paid".
Last time I checked, the average teacher's pay was about the same as the average pay for a college graduate (which would be a middle-class income).
I think its easier to cry "Our teachers are under paid" than it is to cry "Blame the parents" and "blame the students".
A Footnote (Score:3, Insightful)
You question whether computers are effective learning tools. Perhaps you should also question if they are cost effective.
A grade school, junior high, or senior high math textbook can be valid for decades. Grammar books can also be valid for decades. Chemistry and Physics books also tend to be good for many, many years. Even with scientific advances and new research, political science, geography, and biology books tend to be good for a decade and a half.
A cheap computer costs as much as several te
Re:A Footnote (Score:2)
You're lucky to get five years out of most books. And that assumes that the content in those books never changes. If you subscribe to a flat earth viewpoint, or some other dark ages bullshit, then this might be true.
Its a shame that they discovered that the earth was actually round in 1999. Made all of those 5-year old geography textbooks quite invalid. The recent research into the lack of dragons in Africa and a south polar continent are threatening to change those same textbooks once again.
As fo
Re:A Footnote (Score:2)
Re:A Footnote (Score:1)
Re:A Footnote (Score:2)
Re:A Footnote (Score:1)
Re:Follow the money trail... (Score:2)
Basically, teachers are underpaid. People talk about "summers off"
Re:Follow the money trail... (Score:2)
We have a few special-needs kids who have 'c
Re:Follow the money trail... (Score:1)
Re:Follow the money trail... (Score:1)
Re:Err.. what? (Score:2)
Re:Err.. what? (Score:2)
Have you asked the District grant coordinator? I realize that that's probably a dumb question, but they should be able to point you some
Re:Err.. what? (Score:2)
Raw turnips? (Score:1, Offtopic)
I'm not a professional educator or anything but aren't you supposed to cook turnips? Maybe they mean turnip greens, although I'd strongly advise cooking those too. (And spinach, for that matter.) Seems like this activity is just going to scare kids away from vegetables.
Re:Raw turnips? (Score:2)
Actually, once I'd had raw turnips, I couldn't figure why people bother to cook them.
Re:Raw turnips? (Score:1)
Re:Raw turnips? (Score:2)
Re:Raw turnips? (Score:2)
Now, I suppliment my omlette with spinich. In CA, that's called "Frisco Joe's omlette".
Re:Raw turnips? (Score:2)
Slashdot needs a recipes section.
Re:Raw turnips? (Score:2)
I've never tried that... I may live in a very small box.
Creative Grant Writing (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Creative Grant Writing (Score:2)
Re:Creative Grant Writing (Score:2)
wait, who's the good guy here? (Score:2)
Re:Creative Grant Writing (Score:2)
You would think working with the government would be simple and straight forward...
What planet are you from? I don't know of a single government on earth that could be classified as being simple and straightforward to work wi
It's all in how you look at it. (Score:3, Insightful)
Corporate sponsorship? (Score:1)
Repurpose those old computers (Score:2)
Downsize (Score:2)
Thanks... (Score:4, Interesting)
Ten Detrimental Problems in Education... (Score:1, Insightful)
1. Teachers (really) are underpaid for what must be put up with.
2. Those outside of education do not have a grasp for what happens in the educational system.
3. Students that don't care to be educated hinder the education process and cannot be removed from the environment.
4. Technology courses are being cut, not limited to but including, automotive technologies, shop technologies, computer technologies.
5. Very poor system for student feedback to tho
Re:Ten Detrimental Problems in Education... (Score:2)
So, what you're saying is that the current government education system is irreparably broken, and needs to be scrapped and replaced by *another* government education system that will eventually devolve into more of the same?
Can't say as I'm with you on this one. Anything government run will eventually devolve to a "money gr
Re:Ten Detrimental Problems in Education... (Score:2)
Turn your job into a teaching project? (Score:2, Insightful)
Yeah, I know. It's clear I don't have any experience in the administration requirements of a public school district, and there are probably any number of hurdles to doing this (a teaching certificate might be one of them). But
Give Up (Score:1)
Re:Give Up (Score:1)
Look outside the box (Score:2, Informative)
Fewer computers, more books... (Score:1)
My son used to tell me that in the classes that used computers the most, at least 50% of his and his classmates time was spent downloading music, playing games or chatting. In the 'regular' classes (the old-fashioned kind that used books and real teaching) he and his classmates spen