Project RED: Is Technology the Key to Saving Money in Schools and Improving Education?
Technology has had a huge impact education as of late, and we are all aware that technology improves teaching and learning for all students, but we are not completely aware of what level of funding is being affected by this rise in technology. The Project RED coalition has announced “the launch of their new Project RED initiative” (Newswire, 2009). This initiative will determine the actual amount of funding that is being saved by technology, and this study can help improve how funding is allocated and spent. Technology in education can be a huge blessing if it is realized, funds are appropriately provided and used, and this technology is taken full advantage of.
In order to find a common consensus on how technology is actually affecting funding in schools the Project Red team will have to do a lot of researching. The Project Red team will investigate “approximately 3000 K-12 technology rich schools,” and they will use this information to determine many important things (Newswire, 2009). This information will be used to help develop a program for schools that will help schools utilize technology to the fullest. This program will act as a model for schools, so that they can implement a technology program that will benefit both the learner and the teacher.
The information determined by this study will also be used to figure out the actual amount of funding that can be saved by the appropriate use of technology in the education system, and the proper use of technology can save money for schools in several ways. The simple use of technology in place of “disparate data files from state-required reporting to parental forms” is a huge factor, and “the overlap of data collection costs both time and money” (Newswire, 2009).
Another example of money saving techniques that can be applied through the use of technology in education is the better use of technology in the high school classroom. The Project Red team suggests that “high-school students frequently enter college with inadequate skills and that much money is spent on remedial courses,” and proper use of technology in the classroom can improve the level of education for these students (Newswire, 2009).
Furthermore it has shown that the use of technology in education has greatly improved the students enthusiasm and ability to learn. “The ability to reduce costs while improving both learning and attendance through online credit recovery courses” has had a great and amazing impact on education today (Newswire, 2009). These courses alone save time and money for both schools and the learner; it is a win-win situation for education.
The Project RED team may possibly revolutionize education as we know it. If they can prove in factual data how education can be improved with the use of technology than more schools will use their project model. This team is not asking that all of education be overhauled; they are simply suggesting that “ we can hold on to what is important, but the methods of achievement can be transformed through the use of technology, just as has occurred in almost every other segment of our society” (Newswire, 2009). Project RED will prove whether or not technology can save us money and improve our level of education in schools; if it can I believe there should be no reason for the United States to not have the best level of education possible especially if it is cost effective.
Become part of Newswire, a social network of independent journalist, dedicated to changing the landscape of how News is reported. www.newswire.net