Disadvantages of One-on-One Computers

      The Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock community school district has recently given each junior high and high school student a laptop of their own to use during the school year. The school board apparently felt that the laptops would benefit the children by helping them with their homework and the teachers can give assignments over the internet. The school hands out the laptops before the school year  each August and the students have the choice to pay 30 dollars to take the computer home with them. In my opinion, the computers are not being used for the correct purposes. No matter how many firewalls and netsweepers you put on the internet, the students are still going to find a way around them to play games and waste their time on them. Also, if people would think once in a blue moon...what happens when the teachers start giving the assignments on the internet? What happens when the teachers start to record themselves teaching so they can use the lectures for next year? What happens when too many people are on the internet at one time playing games when others are trying to do the homework assigned to them over the internet? I will tell you what happens. The students are not benefitting at all from having a teacher in the classroom, if they can watch a lecture on their computer and complete and turn in their assignments over the internet. So, why can't I just stay at home and learn? Sure you are going to say that the teacher can give more guidance and help, but if I have a computer right in front of me...the internet has all the information in the world, doesn't it? You are not teaching the students new things to memorize and to just know, you are teaching us how to find the information. Anyone can find information. Rick Dow, the industrial technology instructor at RRMR says, "They're a tool, when used properly, they can be very useful." The computers will soon take the place of teachers, you just watch!