One of the most unusual policies to be put before the electorate last May was Plaid's policy of giving all school students a laptop computer. A pilot project for this policy is part of the One Wales Agreement but no announcement about when the pilot is to begin has been made yet.
A school on a Hebridean island has beaten Plaid to it by giving every pupil in Bowmor High School on Islay a laptop. So far the scheme appears to be successful and has proved to be popular with parent, the students and their teachers.
One of the complaints leveled against Plaid's policy (of course) was that it would cost too much. The Scottish scheme is much more expensive per head than the one proposed by Plaid. Bowmor school has chosen to spend £750 per pupil in order to purchase the best computers and the best software. But despite the cost the school's headmaster suggested that the scheme would save the school money in the long term. In fact he told Politics Scotland this afternoon that the school would be able to purchase computers for new pupils starting in the school next year out of just half of the savings that the school would make on its photocopying bill alone.
This Scottish scheme is one that Plaid should keep an eye on as proof that some of its more unusual policies are not quite as daft or unaffordable as the other parties like to portray them.
Showing posts with label Laptops. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laptops. Show all posts
16/09/2007
08/03/2007
Plaid's Laptop
When I first heard of Plaid's policy of giving Laptops to all Welsh schoolchildren, my knee jerk reaction was the same as Peter Black's Having had time to reflect I have changed my mind
When I was in school, many moons ago, there were no computers. We had dictionaries and like most teenage boys I use to engage in the thrill of looking up dirty words in them; we had biology text books and like most teenage boys I use to ogle at the pictures in the reproductive chapters, my schoolmates and I even use to search out the lurid bits in the Bible during RE lessons. Nobody suggested banning schoolchildren from owning books in those days because hormonally driven teenagers abused the books they had.
A side effect of abusing books for teenage pleasures is that, in my dotage, I can now use dictionaries and textbooks with ease and I have a good knowledge of the Bible.
Computers, for better or for worse, are going to play an essential part in our children's lives. If they are going to succeed in life then they must have the best computer skills that our educational system can offer them.
Yes! There are dangers in Plaid's Laptop Computer scheme. Yes! Children being children, will abuse their laptops, but a Luddite reaction to Plaid's policy will put our children at a disadvantage as the world grows to depend more and more on computer technology. The best approach is to embrace Plaid's policy of enabling Welsh children to be at the forefront of computer knowledge by giving them an individual laptop, whilst also ensuring that they learn well the dangers as well as the benefits that computers can bring.
Cymraeg Hen Rech Flin: Cliniaduron y Blaid
When I was in school, many moons ago, there were no computers. We had dictionaries and like most teenage boys I use to engage in the thrill of looking up dirty words in them; we had biology text books and like most teenage boys I use to ogle at the pictures in the reproductive chapters, my schoolmates and I even use to search out the lurid bits in the Bible during RE lessons. Nobody suggested banning schoolchildren from owning books in those days because hormonally driven teenagers abused the books they had.
A side effect of abusing books for teenage pleasures is that, in my dotage, I can now use dictionaries and textbooks with ease and I have a good knowledge of the Bible.
Computers, for better or for worse, are going to play an essential part in our children's lives. If they are going to succeed in life then they must have the best computer skills that our educational system can offer them.
Yes! There are dangers in Plaid's Laptop Computer scheme. Yes! Children being children, will abuse their laptops, but a Luddite reaction to Plaid's policy will put our children at a disadvantage as the world grows to depend more and more on computer technology. The best approach is to embrace Plaid's policy of enabling Welsh children to be at the forefront of computer knowledge by giving them an individual laptop, whilst also ensuring that they learn well the dangers as well as the benefits that computers can bring.
Cymraeg Hen Rech Flin: Cliniaduron y Blaid
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