I read with a great deal of interest that the CNMI education commissioner recently ordered 22 iPad2’s for the schools and that earlier 5,000 or more notebook computers had been given to students at the beginning of the school year.
Guam made some mistakes in this area. I would like to caution the school system that unless teachers are trained, preferably at least one year before procurement of the technology, then these wonderful devices will only become paper weights and game consoles for students.
I have a great deal of faith in technology for education if properly planned for and used to improve instruction.
The ubiquitous ownership by students of smart phones, iPod Touch-like devices and tablet computers may mean schools do not need to spend “oodles” of money on hardware, textbooks or software. Why? There is so much good, free content available on line (see www.Khanacademy.com as an example) that teachers have the ability to assign and monitor, in nearly real time, student learning.
The “always on” nature of today’s smart phones and iPod Touch-like devices provides opportunities for teachers and students to take advantage of high quality instructional materials at a nominal cost 24/7.
Wikis, instructional management systems, such as those produced by Aspen Learning in Mountain View, California, and assessment systems that articulate with national and district standards enable teachers to complete formative evaluation of student learning and provide immediate feedback to the student to improve instruction.
I wish the CNMI good fortune in this important endeavor.
DR. JEFF SHAFER
Retired Guam school administrator
San Jose, California
