An important way to take advantage of investing in technology
is to use the school infrastructure to benefit the entire
community. Basic computer skills are one type of education that
can be applied in any job. In most countries, one out of every ten
information technology (IT) jobs is not filled. The United States
and Europe each need more than half a million new trained IT
professionals in the next several years. Rapidly developing areas
such as India and Latin America may have greater shortages.
Highdown School in Reading, England, is paying for the
infrastructure it needs through a mix of private and public
money. Highdown School expects the community to contribute.
Adults can get online technical training either at the Reading
schools, which open on evenings and weekends for that purpose,
or at home. Fees for this service go toward maintaining and
expanding the IT system.
Most knowledge workers in the United States have their own
PC, but even at the best of schools there are usually more than
seven students for every PC. It's expensive for schools to buy PCs
for every student, especially when PCs become out-of-date every
three years or so. For this reason there's a fear that the gap between
the " haves"—those families that can afford PCs at home—and the
"have-nots"—those that cannot afford PCs at home—will create
a major gap in opportunities. Creative approaches in providing
PCs to every student are beginning to help solve this problem.
One project started in the early 1990s in Melbourne, Australia,
where Bruce Dixon, a teacher interested in technology, saw
significant differences in teaching results when he could use half
a dozen computers for his classes instead of just one. He realized
that, for the best results, students had to use PCs as a tool for all
their work—in all their classes and at home as well as at school.