One of emergency workers' nightmares goes like this: Somewhere in a remote area with a lot of tourists and transients, a camper has a stroke. Her friends use a cell phone to call 911, but because they're strangers in the area, they don't know where to tell dispatchers to send an ambulance. Paramedics and police search for the victim, but as minutes pass, her condition worsens. Advances in technology could allow 911 dispatchers to pinpoint exactly where emergency calls originate, preventing crises like this. State lawmakers should pass legislation that would enable 911 systems to have these tools.
Ohio officials have talked a lot in the past few years about the benefits of science and high-tech research, but mostly this had to do with abstract, long-term plans for an economic recovery. A bill now being considered by the state Senate, however, would use technology in the near future for a decidedly more concrete result -saving lives. The bill, which already has passed the House, would add a small charge to every Ohio wireless telephone bill, providing more money for 911 operations around the state. Among other things, the new fee would help counties create so-called enhanced 911 networks, which can track wireless phones and help rescuers respond faster when they're needed.
If the bill passes, wireless phone customers in Ohio would pay a 32-cent tax each month with their bill. That money would go into a statewide pool from which $25,000 would be paid to each county's 911 system. The money left over would be allocated proportionally to areas with the most wireless phones -Hamilton County, with thousands upon thousands of cell phone customers, would receive more money than Adams County, for example. This system ensures that places where people are more likely to call 911 from their cell phones will be better financed and able to pinpoint the exact origin of calls for help. But the general update fee also will mean rural counties, where emergency calls will probably come from more remote areas, can modernize their systems, too. Enabling 911 dispatchers to send police officers, firefighters or paramedics to exactly where they're needed will save lives and is worth a few cents more a month.
To grade or not to grade
You can't enter an English classroom without reading works of Dickinson, Poe, Shakespeare and other widely read and esteemed authors. Their words have transcended time, yet had their verses been judged by a new computer grading system, the historical pieces that we now treasure might never have been discovered. Today, some high school students' writing pieces are overlooked by the human eye because computers are doing the grading. There is clearly an enormous difference between legendary literature and high school essays -just as there is a huge difference between human grading and computer grading. To say that one can be replaced by the other is ludicrous.
Indiana is the first state to use computer-scored essay tests on English exams needed for high school graduation. Creators of the online software claim the program eliminates subjectivity from teachers and costs of grading thousands of test booklets. But, while money and time are saved, much more is lost through the use of computerized grading.
A computer will never be able to appreciate words like a human being can. To a computer, the essay becomes a combination of words, joined together to somehow create a sufficient formula. There is no room for sarcasm or clever humor, emotion or empathy. The computer might be able to identify key points, but it can't grade content. Students and teachers alike are shortchanged in the process. Writers who are graded by computers become molded to fit a formula. As long as there is a correct thesis statement and accurate punctuation, there is little need for creativity. When an essay is incorrectly graded, students won't be asking their teacher how they can improve their writing. Instead, the state will be addressing computer glitches. Human grading might not be foolproof, but pretending computerized grading systems are equivalent to human grading is as ridiculous as comparing your senior English essay to Romeo and Juliet. Human grading is always the better option.
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