An Internet Look at Education

Technology in general plays an important part in any education system. One of the first points of exposure for most people to new technology is school. The Internet itself grew for the mainstream users from use in colleges and academia.

Recently, in a discussion with one of the many folks I know who have lost their jobs to the new infamous dotcom syndromes, was telling me about a new program in the school she works. The high school computer department is looking to setup SAP use for their students.

For those who are unfamiliar with SAP, it is a Germany based company that produces systems that help with supply chain management. The system helps to manage not only what sort of inventory a company currently has but in the event supplies are running low to assist in making a B2B purchase. Many Fortune 500 companies are now using their systems globally. Many companies invest millions of dollars and years of their time in getting these systems up and running.

So on the surface this is a wonderful idea. It has given these children a head start in a technology that is bound to stay. However, being that these kids are just in high school, there’s a good chance that by the time they’re out of school the technology has sufficiently changed to make the training useless. Then again, if you subscribe to the thinking of most technology analyst, technology goes in cycles; we don’t learn anything new, we just reapply the same thought process with new labels.

The Internet is an important part of the college experience. In every campus tour goes into at least some detail about their computer and Internet facilities. Having access to newer technology gives their students a leading edge in the careers they have before them.

Not long along, Yahoo! Internet Life ran an article listing out the top 100 (and later updated to include top 200) of the most wired colleges in America. They evaluated the schools on infrastructure, student resources, web portals, e-learning, tech support, and wireless capabilities.

At the top of the list, and it should be no surprise to those that follow Internet and technology, was Carnegie Mellon. For those who aren’t aware, this is the birthplace for many of the Internet companies. It has been known for a long time to have one of the best departments for Computer Science.

Sad to say, I’ve stared at the list several times now and I still can’t find my alma Mata, Rutgers University.

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