Dear Mr. Kilzer:
Thank you so very much for your frank, straight forward, insightful
response. The statements you made contain answers in and of themselves.
Thank you so very, very much and if you could point to "Authoritative"
sources (e.g. people published out there) who share your views it would be
akin to a sledge hammer.
Mu ultimate goal is to get back to the basics of education, way back when,
and look at technology from a starting point (e.g. Homo habilis) first
creating tools.
I am not going to babble, for I feel that we are on the same side of the
fence. The causes of this is, who knows, I see it as a serious issue that
needs to be faced.
Once again, I thank you for your time and look hopefully this thread will
start a whole series of contriubtions to this subject matter.
Most gratefully yours,
CE
"Kevin Kilzer" <kkilzer.remove.this@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:dha8i05v86a5sjmgpt6vgcbdg689ig7h9r@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 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
>
|
