Michael Feldstein of e-Literate points to an "extremely important" article at eSchool News that paints a dismal picture of the United States’ commitment to classroom technology:
In Britain, it’s estimated that half of all classrooms will be outfitted with interactive electronic whiteboards by the end of this year. In Mexico, every fifth and sixth grade classroom is expected to have a computer, printer, interactive whiteboard, and projector by November.
And here in the United States, Congress is poised to eliminate millions of dollars in federal ed-tech funding at the request of the president.
The cuts mentioned by eSchool News would chiefly affect primary and secondary schools, but a number of college officials share concerns that other nations are bolstering their educational technology at a much quicker rate than the United States. Mr. Feldstein, for his part, argues that "those of us who consider ourselves to be ‘edubloggers’ have a moral obligation to speak out, organize, and mobilize on these issues." And he is asking for ideas on how bloggers can press lawmakers to make classroom technology more of a priority. —Brock Read
