Week 5, Discussion 3

Clark Article - As stated by others, the title of this article puts me in a state of mind to disagree before I ever begin to read. After reading the article, I see the point about funding for computers because some schools simply are focused on improving other things than the types and extent of technologies being used to teach their students. I've noticed that it is difficult for teachers, administrators, etc to change their ways of thinking therefore I expect no less when it comes to technology. As a business technology teacher, I feel that schools need to keep up with the times so that we are preparing our students for graduation and all that comes after graduation. It's a very sensitive subject, but I definitely think schools need to make technology more of a priority and seen as a necessity instead of a luxury.

Lowther Article - I agree with this article because it is for having laptops in the classroom. With technology being the core of my curriculum, I see computers and other types of media as necessities. From what I gathered from the statistics, those students who used laptops for writing performed better with grammar than those students who did not use laptops for writing assessments. The word processing software gives students students immediate corrections that would not be as easily noticed with a pencil and paper unless it was an English class. There was a part about troubleshooting, students getting on the Internet, not focusing on the lesson, etc and how it was slowing down the class and it does take up a lot of time. However, as time goes on, it is easier to be able to quickly fix the problem and fill time when the students are starting up their computers. But this also comes with time and practice like most things. But I am all for laptops and computers in the classroom.