HomeAccess
While I’m talking about Walsall MBC, They’re busy pushing HomeAccess via their twitter feed.
This is the Government-sponsored scheme to provide broadband access and a PC to families on low incomes.
That’s, I suppose, quite a noble plan, but I do wonder about priorities here, and indeed if the educational benefits will really do what is claimed.
There are already PCs for public use at libraries and in schools.
From what I’ve seen of computer use of kids at home:
1. The young kids play games.
2. The older kids use MSN, Facebook, or Bebo, and download illegal music from P2P sites*.
3. Teenage boys discover the joys of gigabytes of free pr0n*.
4. All of them download crap of the internet and install spyware, crapware, and viruses*.
Call me an bitter old cynic, but how many of these PCs will be either sold, or knackered inside a year?
How much money will some company who bunged BECTA enough cash make out of the public purse to provide the support?
How much money will Microsoft make out of the public purse?
Is Internet access at home really a necessity? Should there be higher priorities from state funding?
How about all the families that don’t meet the requirements but cannot afford a PC and broadband? Plenty of people I know fall into that bracket.
Discuss.
*Yes, I know: the PCs will be
Pre-set with parental controls – this means unsuitable content is blocked from the first time you turn it on.
But Internet blocking and security software is not foolproof- even if you’re an experienced techie, never mind a parent with no Internet experience. I’ve lost count of the number of family PCs I’ve cleaned up for a favour.
January 16th, 2010 at 17:25
This has sparked of a huge debate on many circles, some for , some against the idea
Schools have come a long way in the past 15-20 years,
The Use of technology in schools is no longer a luxury but is a main stream tool.
many school have internal “social network” created using Moodle (FOS from moodle.org)
Which allows E-learning, wiki’s forums discussions all in one place, homework set and marked online, a few schools are even allowing parents access to the childs moodle content for up to the date marks etc.
Then there is remote access, so the kids can access school email, internal moodle systems from home.
Newent school have a bluetooth zone where kids can download video podcasts (produced by the school) to watch on the bus on their phone or ipod
Newent is a school where phone and technology are embraced, not banned..
Newent carried out a survey and less then 4% did not have access to a computer at home, some 28% has their own laptop
But the school has great after school access to computer suites and local library and youth club have computers too.
Why you ask…
here ia a true example.
One english teacher said to a class, “its dead, it is no more, it has snuffed it” which parked a debate on classic commedy
48 hours later, the school wiki was full of youtube links to every single monty python sketch…….
All the kids, found and shared their findings, without being asked….
So is there a need for becta to step in, I personally remain unconvinced, not wanting to be non PC but most of the parent’s of a school age child, Who do not have a PC in the house, probaly have sKY or cable TV and spend £100 a month on cigs and beer.. and probably have a games console too, so buying a Cheap PC is not too far out of the way..
Now for the tech bit, becta have at lease two solutions:-
1. a pre configured NC10 with realy clever firewall routing software which monitors (externally) all internet use and a 3Gdongle
this is explained to the parents as being useless if sold etc etc .
but enter USB linux, and i am sure you see where i am going
2. a pre paid voucher, valid for use at many retailers against computer equipment only, allowing them to but what they want from a particular range.
the first option is the defaunlt for children on council care.
In conclusion
Do i think the kids need access to good computers, Hell yeh
Do i think the Gov need to (blindly) give a computer to those how apprently cant afford one, the jury is still out.
(in case you wondered i am a school governor and have seen much of this 1st hand)
January 16th, 2010 at 17:38
Thanks for that. For the record, I agree with your conclusion.
I’m wondering if your positive experiences with tech are skewed by this being a ‘good’ school with parents and governors that are interested, and relatively affluent. (like yourself). Would this be the same in (say) Alum Rock? Dunno.
The Sky TV, cigs and beer thing was something I was trying to avoid, as I don’t want to sound like a Daily Mail reading fascist, but the case is plenty of parents who are low income are on low income because they don’t give a shit about work, education, or their kids, or indeed anything except the aforementioned fags, booze, and Sky, and these lot will sell it in exchange for Tennant’s Super. There’s plenty who do care and are disadvantaged too though. It’s the perrenial problem of the welfare state, of course. How do you help people that need and deserve help, but not the freeloaders?
Well aware of Moodle, as is Andy. A real open source success.
Do you know who the suppliers are?
January 18th, 2010 at 13:49
sadly i believe you are right,
There will always be a number of low life, you are highly skilled at sponging and who will never improve their own (and child’s) situation regardless of the help they are offered.
PS , you seem to have added gravatar support, but dont have a picture
January 18th, 2010 at 20:31
I can only assume that wordpress has done it for me. Where do you add a pic?
February 1st, 2010 at 10:30
http://www.gravatar.com
create ab account and it allows yoiu to associate a picture with an email address, which is then used on any supoprting web site