The Finest Education Means the Finest Tools for Education

   I haven't seen it in the paper, but I have heard displeasure that Becky Lockhart's husband, Stan, is a lobbyist for the computer industry. Lockhart, speaker of the Utah House, had proposed that students be equipped with computers. The proposal would have cost, what, $200 million to $300 million?
   I came home after hearing Stan Lockhart was a lobbyist. Looked it up. He may have had other lobbyist positions, but I found that he has been a government affairs specialist for Micron, a company that makes semiconductors.
   I'm doubting Micron would directly benefit from the students being given computers. I'm doubting Stan approached his wife from his lobbyist position. But, perhaps his respect for computers did contribute to his wife's wanting to put a computer in each student's hands.
   From what I know of the situation, not sure any wrong was done.
    So, while we're on the topic, what do I think of investing so much money to high-tech the students? The Internet contains so much knowledge, it is a learning tool we must use. It is also a tool that can often be abused, the students getting past firewalls to download apps they don't need and using the computers as toys and entertainment centers at taxpayers' expense.
   And, we would have to establish precautions against the computers walking away, being stolen by the students.
   Keeping the computers at school provides a partial check against misuse, but not a full one. Still, I do see wisdom in having classrooms equipped with computers. The teachers' monitoring of them to stop abuse would not fully stop abuse, but I still think the benefit of all the knowledge on the Internet should be utilized. I don't think the computer needs to be sitting on the student's desk all the time, but it should be available when the teacher wants the student to be using it.
   Actually, I'm a little surprised our schools are not already so equipped. Are they not?  I've no children, so I don't get feedback from children as to what our schools do have.
   But, as to whether we should have them, the finest education means the finest tools for education. Of course we should aspire to this.