Cut the cord: how networks are making schools stupid. (speaking out).

Cut the cord: how networks are making schools stupid. (speaking out). Conventional wisdom suggests that networks, specifically theInternet, make us smarter. Networks provide unparalleled opportunitiesfor collaboration, access to expertise, research and personalpublishing See blog, wiki and citizen journalism. . The Net is our friend, our meeting place, our trustedadvisor, our canvas ... except in school. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence anecdotal evidence,n information obtained from personal accounts, examples, and observations. Usually not considered scientifically valid but may indicate areas for further investigation and research. to suggest schools lack thecapacity to cope with the Net or use it in meaningful ways. In schoolsfrom Sydney to the South Bronx, complications from network fever haveleft administrators lightheaded light��head��ed?adj.1. Faint, giddy, or delirious: lightheaded with wine.2. Given to frivolity; silly.light and put many a school on life-support.This isn't an affliction that may be cured by additionalprofessional development; nor is it merely the result of a generationalshift. The patient (school) will die without access to skilledleadership, expert advice and creativity. Investing unprecedented sums of money on bandwidth, servers andnetwork personnel without common sense and a clear understanding of hownetworks work create incurable complications for schools. Theinstallation, implementation and maintenance of educational networkscould be the No. 1 challenge facing school leaders. Fears related to thedemocratization de��moc��ra��tize?tr.v. de��moc��ra��tized, de��moc��ra��tiz��ing, de��moc��ra��tiz��esTo make democratic.de��moc of knowledge, power and expertise causes schools torespond reflexively in order to maintain the status quo [Latin, The existing state of things at any given date.] Status quo ante bellum means the state of things before the war. The status quo to be preserved by a preliminary injunction is the last actual, peaceable, uncontested status which preceded the pending controversy. . This is by nomeans an indictment of the technology. It is an indictment of schools. The following is a partial list of the reasons I believe schoolshave failed to tap the educational potential of the Internet. NETWORK IGNORANCE School leaders have simply too little experiencewith or understanding of computers and communications technology Noun 1. communications technology - the activity of designing and constructing and maintaining communication systemsengineering, technology - the practical application of science to commerce or industry . It isup to every administrator to acquire and maintain a working knowledge ofemerging technologies. VIEWING COMPUTERS THROUGH SCHOOL-COLORED GLASSES We have forgottenwhat computers do best. They make things, facilitate communication andsupport the social construction of knowledge. Computers mediate aconversation between the user and herself. They make concrete theabstract. On the other hand, most school applications of the Net arecurriculum or teacher-centered--designed to transfer information tounsuspecting or unwilling children. BAD ADVICE School leaders are placing unprecedented budget andpolicy authority in the hands of non-educators. The lack of educationalwisdom possessed by "network administrators" is only eclipsedby their lack of technical knowledge. It's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a to face facts. Congress recently expanded high-techimmigration immigration,entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. limits for high-tech professionals at the urging of businessexecutives who can't employ competent managers at any price. Whatsort of employee is your school likely to attract? Once employed,administrators often divorce themselves from the decision-making processand are too eager to accept the recommendations of their networkadministrator. SCHIZOPHRENIA We speak with forked tongues when our rhetoriccelebrates how much kids know about computing, but then we place them inschool settings in which they barely use a computer or use the Internetin trivial ways. Kids lucky enough to enjoy school access are oftentreated as incompetents, potential felons or victims by irrationalacceptable-use policies. We should expect children and their teachers tobehave in civil, lawful, appropriate ways. They may rise to thechallenge. INSATIABLE DEMAND Let's say your teachers use the network inwonderful ways and your competent tech support staff ensure thattechnology supports the needs of children and teachers. Well, you maystill be in trouble. Schools that do everything right may soon find thatthey cannot possibly afford the bandwidth demanded by a Net-dependentschool community. You may have to go back to your initial goals forcomputers in the classroom and leave downloading and surfing to the homecomputer. OUTSOURCE The great thing about the Internet is that itdoesn't need your school's participation to be a success. Kidshave lots of access outside of school and your school might consideroutsourcing your server services, maintenance and access to an outsidecontractor outside contractorn → contratista m/f independiente. This way you can focus on education rather than on running atelecommunications company See telecom company. . Outside ISPs and network services companiescan often offer more power at a lower price than if you go it alone. LET COOLER HEADS PREVAIL Ignorance of the technology leads tohysteria in some schools. Many schools behave as if state secrets werestored in their 7th grade computer labs. Take a deep breath, apply alarge dose of common sense and remember that information wants to befree "Information wants to be free" is an expression that has come to be the unofficial motto of the free content movement. The expression is first recorded as pronounced by Stewart Brand at the first Hackers' Conference in 1984, in the following context: . The more time we spend locking data, the more it will cost tomaintain and the likelier it will be that someone will work tocompromise that security. Lunch menus and sport schedules do not need todistributed on a password-protected intranet. CENTRALIZATION VS. DECENTRALIZATION de��cen��tral��ize?v. de��cen��tral��ized, de��cen��tral��iz��ing, de��cen��tral��iz��esv.tr.1. To distribute the administrative functions or powers of (a central authority) among several local authorities. The mainframe is dead, or so Ithought. Thin-clients, dumb terminals and PDAs offer less computingpower at what might look like an attractive price. However, the cost mayinclude the need for a much larger tech support staff, server farms and"fatter pipes." Lots of computers with large hard drives,especially student/teacher laptops, could actually be a lot cheaper toimplement and offer more bang for your buck. COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS cost-benefit analysisIn governmental planning and budgeting, the attempt to measure the social benefits of a proposed project in monetary terms and compare them with its costs. One school told me the reason they werespending close to $1 million per year to increase high-speed access(including salaries) was because kids were waiting too long for anEncarta article to download. Would Encarta be your research tool ofchoice? What is that article worth? Is it worth $100? $1,000? Could youwait a bit longer for the download or buy every kid a copy on CD? Howabout not spending class-time looking up encyclopedic en��cy��clo��pe��dic?adj.1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of an encyclopedia.2. Embracing many subjects; comprehensive: "an ignorance almost as encyclopedic as his erudition"data? CLASSROOM RESEARCH? I would be concerned if my child entered aclassroom and was told by a teacher to open her book and read. Beingtold, "line up and download a photo of the traditional garb ofTogo" or to find the answer to a trivia question is an inefficientuse of class time. The Net is great for getting immediate answers toquestions. Do not mistake this for creating optimum learningenvironments. THE FUTURE MAY NOT BE WHAT IT SEEMS Wireless technologies andpeer-to-peer networking See peer-to-peer network. look like they could save schools tons of moneywhile offering greater benefits. We just need to look for opportunitiesto think differently and keep up with emerging technology. Gary Stager, gary@stager.org, is editor-at-large and an adjunctprofessor at Pepperdine University Pepperdine University is a private institution of higher learning affiliated with the Church of Christ in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States. The university's location overlooks the Pacific Ocean and is adjacent to the city limits of Malibu. .