As the world moves faster and faster into the 21st century or “The information age,” we are realizing how much the internet and technology truly come into play. In today’s day and age job employers no longer ask, “How neat is your handwriting” or “How fast you can write”, it seems like more and more employers are asking the question “How fast can you type?” Although writing is still a very important skill to have, it seems that typing and using a computer will make you more qualified for the job market, which is very important because of the current state it is in.
For the past few weeks we have been using laptops in our classes in the 8th grade at Spirit Lake Middle School. It has opened my eyes to see that technology has so much more to offer than just textbooks; that have a limited amount of information. We each got our own laptop to use and work with. In our math class we got to do an assignment on the laptops where we looked up prices for cars and then found out how much it would cost us in the end with loans. We then figured out which of the two cars we chose was a better buy by looking at gas mileage and features. Something we could never do with textbooks and limited computer lab space. In language arts we are doing writings on issues of today, the sites we use are perfect for it because they have topics to choose from; then links to get information to support it. We have not yet gotten them in science and American history, but I know of websites where you can do online experiments with chemicals that cost too much to buy. One very cool feature the laptops have is a webcam built into every one. So if a student was gone a day, a friend could tape the lesson and send it to them; so they don’t have to just guess off a notes.
In the end I think the laptops would let us expand our learning further, while also becoming something the families of the students could use at home. The laptops would be monitored and inappropriate websites would be blocked. The control center that we have for the computers can freeze your computer if they see you’re on a website you are not supposed to be on, therefore they become very safe. If you have more questions or confused about this please go to the Spirit Lake School website at http://www.spirit-lake.k12.ia.us/ . And simply press PPEL. The students and community would benefit from this, please vote yes for the pebble on February 2nd.
-Abbey
