Q:
How is technology playing a role in Reinventing Education?
A: Just as technology has changed the way business
functions, technology is changing the way both classrooms
and school systems operate. In the process, technology
is saving money and opening the door to new areas for
improvement.
We are working with our grantees to use technology to
meet the goals of higher student achievement and enhanced
academic productivity. What we're talking about is bigger,
more complicated, and harder to explain than a few catch
phrases or a quick fix. We recognize how complicated
and difficult it is to change any major institution.
Education is a particularly complex process.
Q:
How is this different from the standard way that districts
and states in the U.S. and other countries purchase
technology?
A: We are not talking about simply filling classrooms
with computers -- although more classrooms will have
sophisticated new technology due to this initiative.
We are talking about helping districts, states, and
countries solve problems and figure out new ways of
doing business. Following the model we prefer to use
with our customers, our grants will include IBM technical
services. The goal of these partnerships is not to deliver
a simple list of equipment, but instead, to join with
educators and help them figure out how technology can
solve existing problems or even lead to entirely new
approaches to traditional school operations.
Q:
Why has IBM chosen to focus on education?
A: We see a commitment to education as a highly
strategic business investment. We are investing in our
future labor force and our future customers. IBM's success
as a company is inextricably tied to the success of
schools throughout the world.
Q:
What does a business like IBM know about reengineering
schools?
A: We have made a commitment to reengineering
our own company, and we are helping our customers do
the same. Education is a unique and challenging sector,
but schools are also susceptible to many of the same
strategies that are making businesses productive. We
don't have all the answer for schools and we don't pretend
to be experts in teaching and learning. But we have
much to offer in a partnership with educators and parents
who demand excellence.
Just as technology has freed businesses to restructure
and become more effective, technology can be a tool
for restructuring our schools for success.
