The week before Spring Break I wrote about a trip I took to Muncie Central High School as a guest speaker. The column, as you might recall, talked about my experience there and how surprised I was at students' lack of interaction with technology. When comparing my technology use to the high school students' use I was flabbergasted by the difference.
I'm convinced the more technology used in the classroom, at any level of schooling, the better. It would be a complete waste to ignore the sheer amount of information that's literally at our fingertips at any time.
That said, not everyone fits into that ideal situation. Different students are in different situations. Some, like Ball State students, have access to computers and other technology constantly. Others, like the high school students I met, might not have the same resources all the time.
That was the problem I tried to address in my pre-Spring Break column. I saw that my perception of the world, where everyone has a smartphone, laptop and Internet connection at all times, wasn't exactly true. I realized that and I wanted everyone else to think about it as well, in the hope that a better understanding of the problem and possible solutions could be discussed in the future.
In the column, I also referenced a few offhand comments I heard during my visit to the high school. In particular, I reported that I was told there were only two computer labs for the students to use at the school. That, it turns out, was not correct information.
Since then I've talked to Christopher Smith, the principal of Muncie Central, about the exact technology his school offers students. Fortunately, there are more than two computer labs and also some other interesting technology for students.
Three computer labs, each with 25 to 30 computers, are available for any teacher or class to use. In addition, the school offers specialized classes that require computers, such as business or accounting classes, so there are dedicated classrooms for that purpose. All in all, Smith told me a rough estimate of the number of computers available is about 200 for the 1,067 students currently enrolled.
That's not bad when it comes to pure numbers, and not nearly as bad as I thought it was based on my visit to the school.
Along with the computers, the school is also involved in Project Lead the Way. Through this project, students have access to advanced technologies like a laser engraver and 3-D printer technology. I wasn't able to check out any of these cool pieces of machinery while I was at the school, but it's reassuring to know students have access to them.
All of the hardware purchases and technology came as the result of planning. Smith told me all the technology expenditures are decided by a technology committee that meets to best decide how to spend money on technology needs for the year. Overall, Smith said the school is most concerned with having the most up-to-date technology available to students so they are well prepared when they leave school.
All this cool stuff available to high school students is awesome. That doesn't mean it couldn't be better, however. When I was in high school, I had more technology available but that's because of the area I was living in. Unfortunately, there is a disparity between areas when it comes to money-related issues like technology purchases because of taxes and the wealth of the community.
Is it fair for one set of students to have more access than another? I don't think so. That seems like a pretty simple situation to me, but in reality the machinations and reasons behind the disparities that exist are extremely complex. There is no easy fix, unfortunately. I'm convinced there is a fix to the problem, even if I can't set it down exactly for you here.
What did I learn from my last column to now? Obviously, getting the specifics is always better. I should have dug a bit deeper to find out the exact situation at Muncie Central instead of relying on overheard comments. It's a lesson I'll keep with me, and an extremely important one at that.
What's perhaps more important to this situation, however, is what I learned about the current state of affairs. Before, I just wanted people to think about the situation and see if they could come up with anything interesting. Now, I know that for any real change to happen it's going to take hard work, and a lot of it.
I'm going to keep thinking about how I can help make sure all students, regardless of area or level of schooling, have access to the amazing technology out there. I'm also going to plan concrete ways to make that happen. You, concerned Ball State student that you are, should do the same if technology speaks to you the same way it does to me.
Write to Logan at lmbraman@bsu.edu
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