"Webucation" Ideas

Home Art Math Business

From one of our partners, see the Geometric Art from 1st Art Gallery.

I have been an educator for about 25 years and would be the first
one to admit that public education needs a lot of help if it is to be
the ideal that we teachers (and parents) dream of...here are a few
ideas (in no particular order) for a web-based education...

1) Entire education of ages 8 to 18 via Internet/Web sites

2) Each site transmits different classes, different age/grade, different languages;
finite number of offerings available for development by teachers nationwide

3) Divert funds now sent to districts for classroom schools to be used to buy each
student a home computer w/phone link w/free connection/communications; their
own "USEdunet" station

4) Use existing buses as roving classrooms where visiting teachers can assist the
students who want or need help; regional large high schools can function as
central academic and testing centers

5) Skills testing must be done in person every mid-semester; four times each school year

6) Register each term in person after tests are graded to determine grade level;
all grading to be numerical one to 100 scale; no more letter grades; 65 score to pass
to next level; student maybe be level 10 math but only level 7 reading etc...if student
does not pass, student is not promoted. Period.

7) Unlimited online reference library

8) Turn most schools into trades guilds, testing, and regional and special education
centers; sell other school properties to support local area school effort

9) Divert on-campus security to neighborhood watch group, guilds, centers, and
bus/roving classroom security

10) Must finish ninth grade in all major skills to be eligible to enter trade guild of choice;
guilds include woodworking/carpentry, metalworking, machinists, automobile mechanics,
electronics technicians, draftsmen, computer skills, masonry, and others dictated by
societal needs

11) Three year trade guild apprenticeship program; participation is an earned privilege

12) Must finish twelfth grade in all major skills to earn diploma and be eligible to enter
college or university; high school diploma must regain its meaning

13) Community college system to be retained as returner education and retraining centers

14) Internet programs will have interactivity and chatroom classrooms will develop as
well as chatroom homework rooms

15) Lecture/Multimedia/Demonstration programs will be developed for transmission via Web

16) Experiment with redundancy of broadcast to improve efficiency and efficacy

17) Current administrators would administrate, run testing and registration or go
back to teaching

18) Teachers would develop multimedia net content, serve as roving school bus instructors,
serve as online classroom host teachers, serve as trade guildspeople, teach at junior/community
college level, or function as private tutors

19) Dump dead weight "warm body teachers" via enhanced CBEST type examination

20) Support and maintenance staff would be kept on to service trades guilds and
testing centers; staff to be hired to service computers and network

21) Head Start program expanded until basic language skills are learned,
approximately 3-4 th grade

22) Parents would be re-educated while helping their children learn at home

23) "USEdunet" station will be a dedicated computer system until student graduated
or finishes trade guild apprenticeship.

24) Up to three stations per home maximum; one station per 1-2 children ages 5-18, second station for 3-4 children ages 5-18, and a third station given for five or more children ages 5-18

25) Responsible parties pay for any repairs on systems

26) Athletics/Parks/Intramural/Cultural activities and services greatly expanded
at local parks and regional education centers; participation is mandatory once a
week, more optional; physical education, music and arts teachers work there and
at physical training/cultural centers and at trades guilds; optional sports programs
at all three areas optional

27) Trade guild graduation leads to neighborhood/nethood employment; employment
placement centers will be integrated with trade guilds; local employers to be
government-subsidized for hiring junior apprentices

28) Gifted programs available for those students three or more years above grade level
in all general English language and mathematics disciplines

29) Highly gifted programs available for those students six or more years above grade level

30) Blind and deaf programs translated to internet presentation as well

31) Audio portions of educational presentation offered as cassettes and each
class offered in its entirety as CD/DVDs, or whatever the prevailing technology may be

32) Students over the age of eighteen may register and test and use school-agers
station but must pay for one if alone or married and childless

33) Lessons and required readings downloaded automatically at end of each class to
each home station

34) Interactive real-time, simulation, and general educational software now available only
commercially would be made available to all students; companies producing such materials
would be subsidized by taxpayers

35) Parent-child orientation provided (and mandatory) with manuals etc. for USEdunet station

36) No school-age child (ages 5-16) allowed unsupervised on the streets from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.