Friday, January 22, 2010

PLN 4

Lots of people think that computers are a waste of money, and that students should be learning important skills like writing and reading rather than wasting time on computers. Do you agree that computers in the classroom are a waste of time and money? Why or why not?

I disagree, computers are a good addition to the classroom and students are still learning these important skills such as reading and writing. Time isn’t wasted on computers; students are getting a lot out of computers including the internet. The internet is a major part of our world today; the internet provides everything for everyone who has access to it, which includes teachers and students. Computers allow people to have access to all sorts of information from around the world. People obtain a better understanding of the world today. Not only can students have limited access to the World Wide Web but they have access to helpful programs that help us type our papers and create presentations for class projects. These programs help us correct our grammar and check our spelling, therefore students learn somewhat of the important skills of reading and writing. Computers do not eat up all the time in the class which leaves time for extra practice in writing and reading.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

PLN 3

Are teachers underpaid in Colorado?

Teachers in Colorado are being paid too little for the services they provide. The starting salary for Colorado teachers is $35,086 a year. Teachers prepare people for the future of our world and help us understand things we wouldn’t be able to comprehend or understand without the knowledge teachers provide for us. Teachers should be paid more on average because of what they do for their students and Coloradan citizens in the United States. On average Colorado teachers are being paid $44,439. Four years in a private college costs $26,273, that’s over half of a yearly salary of the average Colorado teacher. Putting that into consideration, starting teachers, fresh out of college, are being paid about $9 thousand dollars less than the average teacher in Colorado. If you do the math, going to a private college for a teaching degree is about 74% of the teacher’s starting salary, and that’s if that private college is in-state. Teachers are paying off their college costs years after they graduate and for what the teachers do for the citizens of America they should be paid more on average.


PLN 2

Are too many professional athletes being overpaid?

High profile professional athletes are being overpaid by their belonging professional league. Professional athletes are getting paid more than the average firefighter, teacher, and police officer. Not only that, but these athletes have more than one source of income. A majority of their money comes from endorsements, which means they shouldn’t be paid as much from their leagues. The average salary for MLB players tops $3 million dollars without endorsements; with endorsements professional athletes can earn as much as $20-30 million in a single year. High profile athletes should be paid less from their league because that money can go to better use other than to entertainers. There are people who serve our community for a living which deserve more money considering they make little on average especially teachers, firefighters, and police officers who are rookies. People who are serving their community for a living only have one source of income unlike these high paid athletes. Most professional leagues have salary caps which limits how much money the team can have to spend on their players, but the MLB, Major League Baseball, has no salary cap which means that all their players can be paid any amount their owners seem fit. On average, professional baseball and basketball players are being more than other professional athletes. Basketball players are being paid more on average because they require fewer players on one team which leaves all players on the team to be paid more than other professional sports such as football.