Mesa Arizona's answer to budget woes, make education pay

[SargeUNN]

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/local/article_29b826e8-6aa0-11df-bc7e-001cc4c002e0.html

The Mesa Unified School District will pilot an online program - Student MPS Connect - that includes e-mail, calendar, documents and spreadsheet programs in the fall.

The governing board learned about the plans during a study session Tuesday.

One advantage to the program, staff said, is students will be able to upload homework to teachers directly, decreasing the chances of spreading computer viruses. The program is Google based.

Mesa Academy for Advanced Studies will hold the trial in the fall, with plans to roll out to all secondary schools as soon as teachers and students can be trained.
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Education by Google I guess. This sure helps take away those problems of having to get along with other children of different backgrounds, and cultures. No wonder Arizona has the worse education in the nation, they don't want children educated because then they might learn what fools their parents are.

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. It doesn't say they won't be IN class

I think you are jumping to a conclusion here.

As a teacher, I think this is wonderful. We absolutely should be teaching kids to be using technology.

[SargeUNN]

4. When it comes to Mesa normal thought goes out the window

You might be right in other areas, but Mesa is full of the no tax, hate Hispanics, and their education system has been headed to the pits for years. They have tried to get rid of all property taxes and have painted themselves in a corner with their let education and social programs go away and we can home school our kids and keep them from having to go to school with the mexicans. Mesa schools has a large Hispanic population. Mesa has such wonderful leadership as Russell Pearce, Jeff Flake, and such great role models as Neo Nazi J.T. Ready and others of this mindset. They are mostly birthers and such who control the city government.

[SargeUNN]

8. I was just thinking

You and others here that I respect their opinion and trust their judgement made me think how polluted these filthy elements of our society has made things. I can see how such as this topic can be useful and is being useful but when you add in the filthy extremist that has taken over the government in so many places in Arizona, suddenly anything is a weapon for their abuse.

We passed a tax increase for education recently but I was not excited about it because the birther legislature had earlier passed a bill where they even if it is marked to go to a certain place by the voters, they can ignore it and spend it anywhere they want. It is a good thing I can support to raise the tax (very small increase) for education and some other notable thing, but since they can take that money and instead offset losses due to boycotts that business may suffer and not send one penny to the voter approved source, it is hard to feel good about what would otherwise be something I would have no reservation about.

[hobbit709]

2. "decreasing the chances of spreading computer viruses."

RIGHT!!!

[sandnsea]

3. Hopefully it includes a parent connection

This is the best way for everyone to stay in daily contact.

Also, there should be remedial programs so that kids who fall behind have another source to catch up or review what they don't understand. Sometimes kids just don't learn through the method the teacher is using and can't always just transfer to someone else.

I don't know why people object to broader availability of education materials. Makes no sense.

[LWolf]

5. My students already email work to me.

Some homework, and some work when they take vacations during the school year or are at home sick, if they are not too sick to get things done. Not all, of course, but more and more each year. I don't know if this is an actual online program, without an actual classroom, or if it's a way to increase home-school communication with the teacher. The article is too short to make it clear.

[SargeUNN]

7. The problem is this

Mesa has a large Hispanic community and most don't have internet services. Mesa is also controlled by extremist like Russell Pearce and their schools have been in decline for awhile in attempt to squeeze out the "illegal immigrants" and if it hurts Hispanic Americans that is just too bad, they should have been born white. Mesa is a stronghold of neo nazi types, and birthers as well as Libertarians of the Rand Paul ilk. Like I stated above, it might be a great move in other places but in Mesa you can rest assured it will be used to prevent Hispanic students from getting an education and to help set up private and charter schools.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. Don't the libraries have internet access?

Many of our students use the public libraries.

Regardless of the politics, our culture is changing and understanding the technology we see every day is important for our kids. I would honestly be concerned if a school district was NOT adopting more and more technology.

I teach in a school that is 90% Hispanic so I do understand your concerns. But I still think we need to move ahead and provide important and up to date learning opportunities for our children.

[pstokely]

11. Libraries close early

How do they get to them without transportation anyway?

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. Our kids don't have any problems

:shrug:

[LWolf]

14. I don't see that from the article. More info is needed.

Again, is this a communication tool to add to what students already have, or is it taking the place of being IN class? I work rurally, and not all of my students have computers at home. That's why the old fashioned telephone, note, and simple meetings before and after school are still in place. We are also open before and after school, and offer parents and students the use of computers in our library and lab if they don't have access at home. That's a little redundant, since they are then on campus, but teachers may or may not be available or on site at the times they are using them.

I understand that enough of Arizona is not friendly to hispanic populations. What evidence do you have that this new software system is intended to exclude Hispanic students or set up private and charter schools?

My district currently has a charter school that is almost exclusively computerized instruction and independent study. It's a hot button because it's serving many more students than was originally intended, sucking funds (and technological resources) from an already devastated budget. Is this what the software is set up for, or...?

[Davis_X_Machina]

6. Had one here for years...

...and love it to pieces. We are one-to-one with laptops, and the district provides free dial-up to broadbandless households, which helps.

Handouts are all pdf files -- one dead-tree copy per person, then you're on your own.
Students and parents have a version of the gradebook to view.
Assignments go up on line, and can be checked -- now when you ask 'do you have any homework?' parents can check the answers.
Links are live -- no more copying the URL down wrong into a notebook.

Throw in Skype, for extended absences from mono and such, or for doing homework at a virtual kitchen table, and there's a lot more to like.

And everyone still comes to school every day...

[thelordofhell]

10. Mesa is short for.........

M ormons
E verywhere
S tay
A way

[Catshrink]

13. Tell me about it

I live in Mesa. It's a libertarian's paradise.