Technology

As technology becomes fully integrated in classrooms, students aren’t the only ones learning. Teachers must operate computers, a variety of applications and other electronic devices while also catering their lesson plans to these technologies. A growing number of schools provide students with laptops or tablet computers and some Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools are even encouraging students to bring devices to school through a Bring Your Own Technology initiative. A 2010 analysis by the U.S. Department of Education concluded that students whose higher educations' blend online and face-to-face interactions outperform others, but how does this apply to grade school students? What are parents and students saying? We’ll discuss the costs, the risks, and the increasingly digital world of learning when Charlotte Talks.

Like the rest of the state, Gaston County is facing a shortage of people with the skills required to work in 

today's high tech factories. Gaston College hopes to address the issue with a training center for students and local residents. This week, the college received a one-and-a half million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

CMS Superintendent Heath Morrison has put a price tag on his vision for the district.  He wants Mecklenburg County and the state to pitch in an extra $27 million next year to help fund new programs and expand others.  Those include bringing more technology to classrooms and creating career and technical specialties at schools.  The plan also calls for 10 new positions to help schools coordinate with companies and groups wanting to help. 

WFAE’s Lisa Miller was at last night’s meeting and joins Morning Edition host Duncan McFadyen in the studio. 

When it comes to start-up technology businesses, let’s just say Charlotte is no Silicon Valley. The local start-up scene has made some recent strides, though. Packard Place in Uptown has emerged as a hub for technology entrepreneurs and last year launched RevTech Labs, a program offering space and support for early-stage companies. The first group graduated five months ago, but they’ve struggled to attract local investors—a common complaint of Charlotte start-ups.

Reducing the rate of high school dropouts and empowering students to succeed is a goal of several organizations in the Charlotte area, including the Arts & Science Council. They're launching a new program that seeks to serve at-risk students called Studio 345. The program is based on another initiative that's been in operation in Pittsburgh since the 70's. It uses the arts, education and the surrounding community to help students achieve. We'll meet Bill Strickland, founder of the National Center for Arts and Technology, and find out how the implementation of a program like his will help kids in the Charlotte region, when Charlotte Talks.

Two North Carolina school districts have won a combined $50 million worth of federal Race to the Top grants.  Guilford County and Iredell-Statesville schools will use the money to add technology to classrooms. 

In the past, Race to the Top money has gone to states.  This is the first time individual districts got the chance to apply for the grants.  The U.S. Department of Education awarded grants to sixteen districts across the country with plans to customize student learning.  

We'll meet one of the leaders of an organization using an innovative strategy to fight global poverty. Jon Mitchell of CARE USA says that the technology that we take for granted in America, like cell phones, can be used to help end poverty in developing countries. We'll talk about the process of getting technology into the hands of the world's poorest communities and how this will help them better their situation and more, when Charlotte Talks.