Passion about use of technology in schools

Two blogs in one day? The following is a cut and paste from a student of mine who was commenting that for schools to spend money on technology before they are teaching to standards seems inappropriate. My comments follow:

Hi to both of you,

I want to wade in on this one because (with humbleness but a great deal of passion) I don't think your analogy of technology to money works. What is the goal of education? To meet standards or to prepare our young people for the world they will inherit? When my homeless students have web pages so they won't lose track of their friends when they move, yet our schools don't have computers for word processing the students papers, education is out of sync with the world. If homeless students know how to access free technology then we can count it ubiquitous.

When our students know more about the basic tools of their lives with technology than their teachers - we have become like the English as a second language parent who uses their children to translate at the doctors office - and really inappropriate things result. Somehow an entire generation (starting with mine) thought that learning technology, preparing for it etc was an option - not in the world our children inherit - they know it and education looks really dumb that schools spend money on buildings that come from the industrial revolution when we don't have the tools they need for tomorrow.

I see the "but they can't even write" comment by teachers still teaching using tools that aren't interesting to their students as similar to doctors in the age when antibiotics were coming of age asking, "but have we used Willowroot yet?" Just as we will always have natural herbs, most of the world's medical problems were overcome through the use of antibiotics. Just as we will still have herbal remedies, we will always have fountain pens - but students know they need keyboards - as kids in Nigeria are learning through cell phones. Education first and foremost needs to meet children where they live and they live in a world of technology - whether we do or not. Technology will be a major player in solving the issue of illiteracy - but we have to use it because our kids want to.

How's that for passion?
Alana