Christ, no wonder most Americans are so poorly educated. Knowing these types, that number is probably budget / number of students, so you have to deduct administration and infrastructure costs. What’s left covers teacher’s salaries, computers, internet connectivity, books (including the library)…
In Alberta, the number is closer to $21,000, and they don’t pay infrastructure costs out of that budget. Alberta’s probably on the higher end, but it’s still almost inevitable that the poorest province in Canada spends more than an “extravagant” state.
And technically, if there’s some content control:
- educational videos
- educational games
- educational audio
A $300 price tag per pupil for the opportunity to deliver that much material is actually a total bargain. They only have to provide enough computer connectivity to put the information on the iPods; they could even be handed out pre-loaded. It’s a good idea.
I believe it’s the iPod that they’re calling extravagant, not $10k/student.
Honestly, they’re right. If there’s no content control, those kids aren’t going to spend hours watching documentaries on their iPods: they’re going to load up on music and movies just like most other iPod owners. If there is, the iPods will be a fun gimmick for about three hours, then get tuned out like every other unwanted attempt to make education “cool”. (Never mind the extra time required to pick out “acceptable” educational content, which I suspect would either get fucked up by committee or added to teachers’ workloads.)
How about taking that $300 and buying new textbooks, instead? I’ve never seen a public school textbook that wasn’t horrendously out of date.
$10,000 per child is extravagant?
Christ, no wonder most Americans are so poorly educated. Knowing these types, that number is probably budget / number of students, so you have to deduct administration and infrastructure costs. What’s left covers teacher’s salaries, computers, internet connectivity, books (including the library)…
In Alberta, the number is closer to $21,000, and they don’t pay infrastructure costs out of that budget. Alberta’s probably on the higher end, but it’s still almost inevitable that the poorest province in Canada spends more than an “extravagant” state.
And technically, if there’s some content control:
- educational videos
- educational games
- educational audio
A $300 price tag per pupil for the opportunity to deliver that much material is actually a total bargain. They only have to provide enough computer connectivity to put the information on the iPods; they could even be handed out pre-loaded. It’s a good idea.
I believe it’s the iPod that they’re calling extravagant, not $10k/student.
Honestly, they’re right. If there’s no content control, those kids aren’t going to spend hours watching documentaries on their iPods: they’re going to load up on music and movies just like most other iPod owners. If there is, the iPods will be a fun gimmick for about three hours, then get tuned out like every other unwanted attempt to make education “cool”. (Never mind the extra time required to pick out “acceptable” educational content, which I suspect would either get fucked up by committee or added to teachers’ workloads.)
How about taking that $300 and buying new textbooks, instead? I’ve never seen a public school textbook that wasn’t horrendously out of date.