We Must Invest in Technology Education :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many school districts today are faced with the ever-growing challenge of inadequate funding for technology education; one school found an inventive way to meet this challenge. In Spokane, Washington, the Audubon Elementary Student Technology Cabinet was formed as an innovative way to assist the school with the essential technology support on a restricted budget. At the onset, students in the cabinet received training on how to clean the computers, load new programs and trouble shoot computer glitches. Moreover, students perform as mentors for other students assisting with computer-based homework and research projects. Club members spend approximately two hours a week going from class to class exposing children to the wonderful world of technology and it's many applications: surfing the web, and assistance when writing a report and fun and games. Like the children described above, students anxiously desire the experience of working with computers and technology; since, they not only see computer knowledge as fun but as a necessary part of their education. According to Kyle Martin, a sixth grader at Audubon Elementary, "I use my computer and the Internet every night to finish my homework. It's a lot easier than going to the library and searching for the right book." In the past, information was treated as a scarce resource, and educators harnessed the task of imparting this information for the benefit of the learners. This is not true in the world today; as a matter of fact, students encounter a vast reservoir of information at their fingertips: the Internet, CD ROM Encyclopedias and computerized maps. Consequently, educators need to impart to all learners three new foundational skills: how to find information, how to determine if what is found is relevant to the task at hand, and how to determine if the relevant i nformation is accurate.    While the importance of securing an adequate education for American's children has been long understood, this undertaking has, over the last fifteen years taken on a new sense of urgency. On the one hand, increasing international economic competitions and corporate restructuring brought attention to the necessity of preparing the next generation of Americans in the challenging world of high-tech and finance. Accordingly, the quality of education in the United States could determine whether our children achieve highly compensated jobs, compete for high-skilled jobs, or contend with workers from developing countries; hence, adequate technology training helps ensure our children's success as adults.