Our RE@L Thinking-Caps are tipped to Contributing Editor, Benjamin Herold, for his column in a recent issue of the EdWeek Newsletter.
EdWeek provides a regular listing of various and relevant education articles. Joining is free. Click here for their most recent issue.
Author Herold reminded us that in 6 quick years we’ve gone from a meager percent to almost all schools having access to high-speed internet classrooms. Here’s what Mr. Herold had to say: “In 2013, just 30 percent of U.S. public schools had access to high-speed classroom internet. Today, that figure is 98 percent.”
Over a century ago, electricity eliminated darkness and helped light rooms everywhere across our country, including schools. More light helped wherever it was needed. Today, so does a high-speed internet.
Sadly, far fewer than 98% of our teachers have the training to use these new EdTech tools. The same is true of needed resources. Our students may know more about technology in general, but have a lot to learn to use it to help their learning more and better. The same is true for the students.
Here’s what author Herold has to say: “Just giving every student a Chromebook might get you headlines. But schools are slowly learning that ongoing training, technical support, and network upkeep is what’s necessary to actually make the devices effective tools for learning.” RE@L believes the same!
But, RE@L Chairman, Dale LaFrenz and RE@L President, Paul Gullickson have more to say. They believe that besides these needed changes being “slow to happen,” lies a widespread “not knowing what to do.” Changes in K12 must become Systemic-Changes™. Too few school leaders seem to have a useful clue on what to do to make changes happen: a significant challenge when applied across our 13,000 school districts and over 100,000 schools. Systemic-Change requires steps that work, and one at a time.
Dale and Paul go on to say: We need an informed network of resource helpers who know what works and how it best works. RE@L is soon bringing tested software products into the schools, along with along with tested, student and teacher-needed resources to make success happen. Essential to this goal is RE@L’s unique RealTime Portal™ which provides instantaneous, needed resources “On-Demand!
RE@L says: Yes, electricity still does provide us with instant power.
RE@L’s new EdTech products also gives our K12 kids and teachers the needed new tools.
And, yes again, “flipping a switch” can light up a room….
RE@L flips our Systemic-Change switch to help make “more students learn more” and for “The Love of Learning!”
Stay tuned to our RE@LBlogs and Weekly Mini-Blog!