There is nothing magical about traditional classroom practice. Educationally, students require a mix of pedagogical support, guidance, and supervision, which can be provided in a myriad of ways. Investing in the development and support of skilled teachers, and supplementing the expertise of a given teacher with the distributed expertise of the broader education community, offers great promise. A number of witnesses16 offered a range of funding model proposals that might address the continuing technology requirements of the education sector. Good Education is Good Business Business should play a much larger role in helping schools make technology support their educational needs.
Business depends upon the graduates of our nation's educational system.
We should not have to rely so strongly on annual increases in the number of visas granted to highly skilled technology workers to supply the U.S. workforce. Banks and retailers, food and beverage companies, and clothing manufacturers all need employees with greater technical capabilities than our schools are currently providing to fill the high-skilled jobs necessary in today's economy. Isolated donations of hardware or software, while potentially helpful, are simply not enough. Aggregated purchasing would enable suppliers to lower their per unit prices. Many states already purchase technology by aggregating demand, and some state and district education systems are joining in.