Money, Teachers, & Technology Why is this IMPORTANT?

Through this paper I want to know: how the amount of money a school district has play into the technology that students are given and in turn how both affect the students literacy understanding abilities? Also I want readers to consider the teaching staff and how it plays a major role in my question. If you are attending a school that has lots of money and has good teachers you will gain an amazing education. Its not about the school you attend its about what your teachers are willing to put into their students. There is the No Child Left Behind Act and through this discussion its not as if a child is left behind but some teachers may just simply not care about there students educational experiences. Through this paper I will show the affects of teachers and money throughout many different school districts.

Anderson, Kern, Devoss and Zoah and KA all agree that it is important for students to be able to understand and use technology to easily navigate through their futures in literacy development. They all have the same mindset of thinking that technology plays a major role in students literacies. Dennis Baron does not argee with any of the other authors within my paper he believes that the new increasing technology is making students more and more lazy. Devoss talks about her own person experiences and how her parents shaped her literacy which ties in with my two personal interviews one which was with my cousin Meredith McDonald who attend a Catholic High School and another with my best friend who attend our home Public School for the first half of the day and the other half of the day she spent at a artistic high school in a neighboring district. Clarke and Bruce talk about the discrete teaching practices and the high standards

set for the students who attend those schools. Clarke and Bruce also fit into the group with an Anonymous male student who attended Wilson High School the high school in which Ms. Gruwell taught at. Clarke and Bruce talk about there second camp which is the cross-cultural divide among students which occurred at Wilson High School due to the many ethnic groups that attended that high school. Ms. Gruwell was a preppy looking teacher who taught at a school located in Long Beach where the students didnt always act the best right off the bat causing her to set classroom rules like Clarke and Bruce talk about in there second camp point. Anderson argues that all students must be able to learn some form of technology to be able to navigate the field that is ahead of them. We in English have nonetheless worked slowly but steadily to make our students aware of the need for facility with new media (Anderson). Anderson is saying in this quote that it is important for all schools to be equipped with the right times of technology that they may ever need so they can develop into the fullest of educational potentials. Kern argues that there are 4 key points that discuss the changes in stages of communication and technological development through literacies. In his article Perspectives on Technology in Learning and Teaching Languages he says that, We live, work, learn, and play in a rapidly changing communication landscape (Kern). I agree with this quote our world is forever changing and in the technology department it is crazy how fast new things come in and old technology is so easily forgotten. I remember going to elementary school and having these big computers that we rarely used and than throughout middle school and high school we progressively started using them more and more. Now that we are in college the computer is what we do everything on we rarely use pencil and paper anymore. There

is pros and cons to living in a world that is becoming dependent on the use of technology. The next generations will more than likely not know what to do if they do not have the Internet to do their work on. It is scary to think that everything we do now has to be done on a computer because you will never know when the Internet might crash and than all your work is gone. A major pro is that the use of computers has cut down a lot on our use of paper that in turn saves trees. Zoah and KA aruge that they dont believe that technology is used enough within the school systems. Over the last century there were several waves of massive investment in technology to improve education, but none has had significant lasting impact on education. (Zoah & KA). I agree somewhat with the argument Zoah & KA makes some schools can not afford to update there technology frequently to better their students educational opportunities. My old High School talking about giving each student their own laptops I didnt find any research on weather this would be a good investment or not. In my opinion this has positive and negative affects. Students would have all their work at their finger -tips and would always be able to have access to a computer. There are also negative things to consider if all students are given their own laptops because students may not always being doing their schoolwork. Devoss argues that most students are not taught these new media technological advancements and that they have to learn them on their own if they wish to broaden their technological horizons if they want to further improve their literacies. Baron argues that technology has made students lazy and caused a lack in literacy improvements because students have computers to do their work for them and they are not challenged as hard as they would have been before because all of the information is at

their fingertips. In his article From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technology he argues the question what will we do now when the computers we use now are no longer really recognized as unnatural technologies. After reading the Baron article I understand where he is coming from not everyone in this day in age is ready to do everything on a computer there are the older generation. But if you think about it there will be so many advancements to the computers that when our generation has kids they will have technology all over the classroom because they will be growing up with technology at their fingertips and will be so use to always having it around that it will become second natural The first part of Devoss article is talking about her own personal story of how her parents pushed literacy development on her at such a young age because they wanted her to be well rounded and prepared for the future. They got her involved in any extra programs that would help grow her educational opportunities so that when it came time for her to move on in life she was as well rounded as her possibly have could been. In her article The Future Of Literacy she notes that she remembers that her parents encouraged her and her brother to read and to be involved in summer reading programs as young as she can remember and were always given magazines, books, newspapers, and novels to read. If all parents took the same approach as the Devoss parents did students would be better well-rounded students who have very high reading and writing literacy abilities because it is all based on what you learn as a child. When you are a child your mind is like a sponge and you absorb so you need to be challenged as a child and set your goals high so that when you move on to high school and college so that you are prepared for the world ahead of you.

Through my previous research I interview seven of my friends and family members who attend a variety of schools. Lesko and Griley both attend St. Francis Elementary School, which was a catholic elementary school. After elementary school, Lesko decided to move to Heath High School a public school because she thought she would receive better educational opportunities there. Soon after Griley followed after a year at Newark Catholic High School to a attend Newark High School which he said that he felt that it was going to better prepare him for college. They both choose to leave the Catholic school system because they both believed that the Public school system had better educational opportunities to offer them for what they wanted to do later in life. I also interview a variety of people who attend Catholic school all there lives and ask them what they thought of their schools educational opportunities and the teaching staff at their school. Parker, Lewis, & McDonald all attend the same grade school that is St. Francis Elementary and than moved on to Newark Catholic High School. They are had similar responses to the questions I asked them. They said that they enjoyed their school and that they wouldnt have wanted to attend any other school. They said that they felt that their elementary teachers taught them very good grammar skills that they later carried on to their English classes in high school where they felt that there English teachers prepared them very well for college English classes. They thought that their school lacked in the additional classes other than the basics because they didnt have the teaching staff to teach a variety of classes. Than I interview a friend who attended my high school with me at Licking Valley High School she said she thought our English teachers prepared us well for the future but that we didnt have a diverse enough grouping of classes which is why

she attend Granville High School for half a day Junior & Senior year to focus on the classes that her home school couldnt offer her.

I choose to focus mainly on the interviews with Meredith McDonald and Alexandra Trumbull because I felt as if they had the most input on the questions asked due to the fact that they have graduated college so there educational journey has came full circle. In my interview with Meredith McDonald she says that she loved her educational opportunities at her private Catholic high school she just said her school didnt provide her with a variety of classes. When asked if she would have ever wanted to attend another school she said no. She said that her school may have been lacking in variety but as far as everything else went she felt as if she had been giving a variety of opportunities that prepared her for her future at Ohio University where she graduated speech pathology and now in her grown up life she is able to see all the benefits she was given by attending a private school. In my interview with Alexandra Trumbull attend a rural public school for half a day and than attend a more wealthy school in town that had a lot of classes to offer in the arts department. By going to Granville High School she was able to do what she loved and by still attending her home school she was able to get all the experience necessary to fulfill her life long dream of being a journalist. Without attending Granville High School she said that she might have not been able to be a music journalist, which was inevitable, her ending goal. Through the two schools she said she feels as if she had a good high school experience that prepared her for college. Licking Valley prepared her for the important educational aspects of her future and Granville

shaped her artistic side. Together with both schools she attended DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois and graduated with a degree as a music journalist.

Bruce and Clarke talk about their two types of camps that they have created to explain the class difference and the teachers ability to teacher and the standards students are held to. The first type of camp talks about teachers discrete teaching practices and how in turn they hold their students to a high standard. In their article Raising Schools Effects While Ignoring Culture they ask the question how does cognitive and socialization outcomes, affect instructional tools and teaching practices are more likely to yield intended forms of learning (Bruce & Clarke) Children who have a high learning ability but are also able to be socially interactive within the classroom are going to be better off in the end if the teaching practices they receive are of a substantial value and will help them to better there learning ability. There are a variety of intended forms of learning I think that it varies based on where you live, the teachers willingness to educate, and the money surrounding your school district. Money is a key factor in the educational system but in the end its all up to the teachers willingness to teach because if she gives up on a class than that class would fail but if the teacher is willing to put his or her time into that class than more than likely that class will succeed. You see a prime example of this in Freedom Writers in either the movie or book. From what I have seen in the movie the teachers and administrators at Wilson High School were ready to give up on the students due to the increased gang violence surrounding there school now due to the Los Angeles Race Riots. When Mrs. Gurwell entered the classroom the students had the impression of her that she was a preppy woman from Newport Beach that wouldnt

be around for long little did they know that she would change all of their lives for the better. Bruce & Clarkes second point is aimed at the culturally diverse communities that surround the schools location. They discuss the cross-cultural divide among students of different ethnic backgrounds and the rules that are put into an affect within the classroom due to the divide among students. Within the movie Freedom Writers you see that in the beginning the students do not talk to one another but in the end after they have been together for a while they grow together and become a family. One of the guys in the beginning when they first meet Mrs. Gurwell they prejudge her because she is dressed preppy and is an upper-class what female. But later on they learn that Mrs. Gurwell will do anything for these students she goes to the extent of getting multiple jobs to provided these students with all the materials and experiences these students are not getting from the other teachers and administrators at their school. Mrs. Gurwell broke the boundaries among the different ethnic groups by making them stand away from each other and than as they are asked questions and if that has happened to them they were to step forward. After doing this exercise the students saw that they were more similar than they thought. Once they began this journey together they grew and became a family. There school may not have had money but their teacher provided them with amazing educational opportunities to better benefit them for there futures. The objections I have discovered about my question, is that money can play a role in your school system but money is not necessary to have a good school system. If your school has money you are given better technology in the classroom and you are given good textbooks. If your school is located in the hood the surrounding community

members may not be willing to participate in school levys to better the students educational opportunities. For example in the movie Freedom Writers the students are not given computers and they are given condensed versions of textbooks that are torn and worn down because the school doesnt believe that the students deserve new textbooks because they will not care for them. Tying back in the No Child Left Behind Act students who are given poor quality books may not care to learn because the students feel as if they are not worth anything because the school is not willing to supply them with normal materials. If students are given everything they need to succeed than they will have increasing educational opportunities and their literacy levels will increase but students who are teachers have lost interest in are forgotten and their literacy levels begin to decline. The counter arguments I have found vary depending on the authors. All of my authors have different views on my argument some believe educating students on the every changing technology is important others believe students need to go back to the time of before the pixels and back to the pencil. Other sources say that your home life and parental involvement and the teachers interest in his/her students plays a major role in the education process. Clark & Bruce say that teachers who set high standards for students and the students are able to follow them, than there educational literacies are able to increase due to the students ability to understand new material. More of my sources say the your educational opportunities are affected by the surrounding students in the classroom due to the cross-cultural divide and in turn the teachers must set rules to decrease the divide among the classroom.

Due to all my research I have established that if your school has money you are offered more opportunities but its not a necessity for your school to have tons of money. What many schools frequently overlook is the shear fact that for once in our society money isnt all that it is cracked up to be. Money is a great thing and we do need money but when it comes down to schools its more about the teachers and their willingness to teach not the amount of money your school has. Some schools think that the more money they have the better education they can offer their students and that statement is far from the truth. In the movie Freedom Writers Wilson High School has nothing and due to the fact that Mrs. Gruwell is an amazing teacher these students are given the chance to have an amazing educational opportunity. My view on the issue of money is that you do need some money for your school to be a high functioning school but you do not need large amounts of money. Schools need a substantial amount of money to survive in our society in this day and age. Schools just need to keep in the mindset to balance the money and the educational staff to better the educational opportunities of their students.

Through all my research I have learned that yes money can play a vital role in the educational system but it is not necessarily needed. Due to the fact that not all schools are surrounded by money or located in the best area, the educational opportunities are up to the teaching staff. You need to be able to have teachers who are willing to challenge their students and give them everything they possibly can to better them for the future because the job market is getting tougher and tougher every year. When they are given the best educational opportunities to increase their literacy abilities it will better their future lives and that they will be more successfully than students whom teachers have just simply

given up on. We all know money doesnt go on trees so just make the best of the educational opportunities you are given and take them for what they are worth and grow from the reading and writing abilities your teachers have given you and always be willing no matter what age to be willing to increase your literacy levels of understandings. This issue needs to not be overlooked it is a serious issue not all schools have money students need to be provided with the right amount of educational tools to flourish in our society but it is important to higher good teachers to promote students educational literacy understandings. Why is this issue over looked is a serious question that needs to be posed to the people our government implanted The No Child Left Behind Act but what are we doing when we dont take into consideration the fact the some students are not given the tools they need to succeed in the future and their teachers are not interested in improving their educational opportunities. This issue is overlooked but we need to ban together and stop the issue of money among schools and learn how to better spread out the wealth among schools so that all schools are equal and provide schools with adequate if not great teachers so that all students will be highly educated. In turn this will provide us with a great future generation to enter to real world to keep jobs within the country instead of out sourcing all work into other foreign countries.

Bibliography 1. Anderson, Virginia. "Supply-Side Dreams: Composition, Technology, and the Circular Logic of Class." Computers and Composition 27.2 (2010): 124-37. Print. 2. Baron, Dennis. "From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technology." Writing about Writing: A College Reader. By Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 422-40. Print. 3. Devoss, Danielle. "The Future of Literacy." Writing about Writing: A College Reader. By Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 395-419. Print. 4. Fuller, Bruce, and Prema Clarke. "Raising School Effects While Ignoring Culture? Local Conditions and the Influence of Classroom Tools, Rules, and Pedagogy." Review of Educational Research 64.1 (1994): 119-56. Print. 5. Kern, Richard. Perspectives on Technology in Learning and Teaching Languages." 40.1 (2006): 183-210. Print. 6. McDonald, Meredith C. "How Did Your High School Affect Your Literacy Understanding." E-mail interview. 15 Feb. 2011. 7. Trumbull, Alexandra D. "How Did Your High School Affect your Literacy Understanding." E-mail interview. 15 Feb. 2012. 8. Zhao, Y., and K. A. Frank. "Factors Affecting Technology Uses in Schools: An Ecological Perspective." American Educational Research Journal 40.4 (2003): 807-40. Print.