On Thu, 19 Aug 2004 03:46:50 GMT, "Curious Educator"
<justsomequestions@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
<snip>
>More specifically, I am working on a thesis of sorts whose base premise
is
>to first find out what has worked in education in the past, idenfitying
>those things, and then using technology to improve those skills. The
common
>talk around the faculty break room is that way too much is thrown at the
>whole concept of having technology for the sake of having it, than using
it
>as a way to improve the learning/teaching process?
<snip>
Our local high school was built about 6 years ago. At that time,
computer/televisions were installed to every classroom, but no
training in their use was provided. Subsequently, they serve little
better than large wall clocks.
Anyway, there are four basic functions that computers perform, and the
least used of these is the classic computing function.
a. The "classic" computer, where arithmetic is performed, is rarely
used in schools except where spreadsheets are being taught. Even
there, their application is limited to fairly simplistic examples.
The use of computers for science calculations is limited due to the
overhead required to develop a spreadsheet or learn a programming
language. In this area, very little is done that benefits more than a
small subset of students.
b. The communication device, including word processing, graphics,
email and the internet. Word processing and graphics are widely
taught but are not an end of themselves; like the typewriter, a word
processor is a means to an end. Email is, of course, generally
shunned in the context of school students' day-to-day activity, and
the internet only gives the information that others want you to find.
However, parents seem to love this, and the school gets brownie points
for providing exposure to new "technology", but even then the
"computer" teachers do not necessarily possess wide knowledge in the
field, and often the lesson is a specific application (such as Word
2000) that could be obsolete before the students graduate.
c. Databases are widely used for administrative purposes, but have
little application to student activities. As with science
applications, learning to use a database effectively is somewhat
complicated, so students' exposure is strictly in a "to be learned"
context (as part of the word-processing class). Students receive very
little personal benefit from this area of application because they are
more often the subjects of the database, not the users.
d. Drudgery-removal, which is actually applied "computing" and
databases, is limited to administrative tasks such as work-sheet
preparation, test grading, re****t generation, mailing label
generation, and higher-level administrative tasks. Very few students
guide the computer to perform routine, repetitive, tasks, but instead
are serviced by the computer for bubble-sheet grading and similar
data-entry operations. When scan cards are used, parents seem to
perceive that their child is "using computers" and so the school
benefits from a misconception. The children gain from the more
efficient operation of the system, but have no personal benefits.
Students may sometimes suffer if they cannot "bubble" the scan cards
accurately, leading to lowered test scores. The tasks that are
performed by the computer can be lifted from the teachers' burden.
Kevin
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