Use Of Technology In High School

[quakesand 0]

Thank you!!! I'm not alone in the world of school technology stupidity. I agree, the most advanced thing that we have done in computer class this year was probably powerpoint. No one in my class has a clue what Photoshop is and wouldn't dare try to use it. I would be the only one who owns a website or even knows a web programming language. Some people need help logging out of a networked computer, and some just can't. (I have turned the computer *when it was in standby mode* and about 3-4 times this year the same person was still logged in, tend to doubt that person ever longs out.)

Your story really touches my heart...(only because I have a very same life...)
All my friends hardly know how to use a website maker that only needs you to drag & drop...
They don't know how to copy files from a cd to your hard drive, they don't know how to install a game..
they don't know anything besides typing clicking and playing...
I feel so along in school, nothing seems good, just like I'm a undercover spy hiding my identity.
Only 2 friends that were with me for 5 years everyday in school understands, but they hardly know anything.
Making models are like making a real life time machine to them, changing registry is like sooo hard to them.
Using microsoft office programs takes ages for them to learn..

Schools really have to change, from the best student to the worst student, no one knows anything useful about technology in these days...they don't even know the basics, they don't even know how to
right-click --> Properties
*sigh*

[techclave 0]

I agree completely !!!! I guess, you are not the only guy who feels he is atleast 10x times better than his computer teacher. But , as a matter of fact, i guess you have to accept and live with it , in most of the cases.. I had the same situation in my high school. Infact, we had lab classes ,where we were asked to write some C programs. As i already knew C programming, i started doing the programs my teacher gave me using functions. But i was cursed for doing that, just for the simple,plain reason that my teacher had not taught me functions yet !!!! Damn it !! What do you do with these people ?? IT is really absurd . I guess, these are certain obstacles in life, which you need to cross, to excel.. But, now that i have crossed those barriers ,in school life , i face couple of such obstacles in my college life too !!!!! Some things in life ,just dont change, do they ??

[QuickSilva 0]

I received my school's Ofsted report the other day, well I should say altered Ofsted report. Our reports get altered to make it look like we're the best school in the world. As I have quite good friendships with a lot of the teachers, they let me read through the unaltered version. It was very different. In the unaltered version it clearly said that we don't use our IT equipment in school, and that with all the Government's grants and all we should be doing things a lot better. Well personally I am not too bothered and I find that the school is doing all right in this department. Goes to show how school's twist the words.

[TripleH13 0]

In my school which is not a big school compared to some other schools we have a really good computer program. The school just got Windows Vista capable computers. They also have a few mac pcs. This year we learned how to a make a website, animations,photoshop skills and even some flash for the more advanced kids in the program. It is really a great class. I also know that in the next couple of years they really get into flash and you learn to make games and stuff. This year we where also able to make logos and put them on t-shirts which was really cool. The ones that are doing power point and stuff are you sure you not thinking of business computers because i know i did that kind of stuff in that class.

[kawasu 0]

at my high school they had hundreds of computers, all top notch win xp and at bare minimum pentium 4 processors. the school attendance system was done through computers or teacher laptops and our grading, subjects, worksheets and all that were accessed via our local intranet. we learnt how to use vb in lower years and if you wanted you could go into computer elective subjects where we learnt how to use html, word, excel, powerpoint, photoshop and many more applications all to a decent extent. our school was pretty high class techology wise i guess, so having access to a computer at any time during the day was the norm. i remember a teacher from the US coming over to teach our ip class for a few weeks (i live in melbourne, australia). she said that our level of technology throughout the school was higher than most american high schools; which should say something at least.nearly everybody was knowledgeable with computers; the net, word processing and such where basics everyone knew. i'd say we had about fifteen computer labs each with up to 30 pcs inside, the smaller ones had about 7 or 8. then there were free areas with a lot of computers too, these areas were for anytime access whilst the labs were booked for classes and such. at recess and lunch break you could usually use the labs computers anyway. comparing this back to the first post, it seems unfortunate that students at your school miss out on so much. being able to use computers is becoming a much needed skill, if not that, a must. we're entering a new age of learning and communicating. if you don't have the skills to use a computer, i'd say it would make it very hard on you in the future.

[darran 0]

When I was in secondary school (high school in other countries), there wasn't much computer lessons, we only had 2 computer labs and this labs will be booked by teachers to teach their lesson, not on computers but on their respective subjects, incorporating IT into it. Definitely technology is very quickly seeping into our society, and I feel that even at high school the students need to be exposed to technology. Wireless is just so convenient, imagine kids saving up to 300 dollars a semester, not having to buy any textbook, everything could be available online. As far as I know in Singapore, they are trying to bring this to reality for high school students to be equipped with a laptop and attend class whereby an online portal is available for the students. However I think the reason why this is taking so long to be implemented is due to the cost, imagine this: 10 000 students, each with a laptop of 2000 dollars for a decent one and on top of that, the software licenses and network construction, how many access points would they need to build for internet connectivity anywhere in the school? The biggest concern I have about students in high school at least the lower grade ones, is that they do not have the discipline to actually concentrate in class with the laptop in front of them. They could very well surf youtube.com .... etcEven in my tertiary institution, there are a handful of people not listening to lessons but instead are chatting on MSN. This has to do with their discipline. However expect technology in high school to be used rapidly, very soon and surely each student will have a laptop for himself and the use of notes, worksheets and textbooks would be abolished, everything would be done using their online portal system. We have an online portal where you read announcements, download project files, lecture notes and tutorials from, a student email and wireless connectivity. Quizzes were taken through this portal and our only form of writing was during examinations (yes this is not gone even when technology is involved) and during lessons when we needed to take notes in hard copy form.

[zyzzyvette 0]

In middle school, I remember our computer classes were terrible... I really didn't like the teacher, and the program itself didn't teach you much. Anyway, it got better once I got in HS; the compsci teacher is an engineer, and he teaches for FUN on the side (he is also our school's network admin). The computers aren't top notch, but they're still pretty decent. Part of the reason is that the students help to upgrade and maintain everything as a part of the course. I'm sure this saves the district enough money that it makes it more affordable to buy new PCs and parts (since they aren't paying for the installation, which can often cost more than the parts themselves). Anyway, if your school is unwilling to improve their program, you can always resort to learning at home. Online tutorials and the local library can be your teachers. And if your classmates are too foolish to do the same, their loss is your gain because you now have an advantage over them. Harsh, but that's life and we may as well get used to it...

[Unregistered 012 0]

Ya my school is really big on technology. I think there are like 4 to 6 computer labs with probly around 30 some computers in each room. We have like 10 different computer based classes and then some classes you use computers, and do other things. But i really like the classes and im going to be taking a bunch of them next year. Plus i go to a new high school so that helps too.

[elhadi 0]

may be in the future we can use computer in primary schooooool

[joeblogg 0]

at my school they give all of us laptops which we can use for all the subjects. of course we don't use them all the time we use them about 1/3 of class time. i think that is pretty good.

[hertonsils 0]

My high school was similar and lacked many decent opportunities to learn computer skills but I found that through pure interest I had no problem teaching myself. Plus when I got to college I was amazed at the huge range of computer classes that offered.

[miladinoski 1]

Well, look. At my country we have an unorganized school system. The gov. has brought a 'computer for every student' in every school, but they don't work in many schools, such as mine. They are left to catch dust, to be kicked around and the cables are being stolen every day even though we signed up for agreements (well, our parents did) to keep them 'healthy' and not break or steal anything.

 

At the other schools, where they are used (they run Edubuntu), vnc and other programs to control what the student sees on the internet, don't work and many of the programs still aren't localised. They were localised by the GNU/Linux community (me included) but the gov. made a bounty (I'm not sure what word is apropriate on English) to a company to make the localisation again. Also, the teachers aren't educated enough and everything is just bleh

 

Nothing anymore to add

[Bluebear 0]

At my school all the students have their own laptop. It is pretty okay, works just fine. It comes with Windows Vista - we would probably all like something else but it is just for school so what do we care. Our school is not specialising in technology and things like that, other schools in the area have programs like that. (For example Media&Communication - they have some neat stuff.) We do not really learn anything special regarding technology, but we do use it a lot at school. We have presentations where we create short-movies, use PowerPoint, music, websites, online information, flash and we often have tests online. Most of us think it is great that many of our tests are at our laptops, because it is easier to write, we write faster, get more done and recieve a better grade.