[K12OSN] Fwd: of interest regarding ICT use in schools

[Robert Moskowitz]

Terrell Prude' Jr. wrote:
> PREACH IT, BROTHER!  While we had computers when I was in school, we
> never actually depended on the computer to do education, unless it was a
> computer programming class.  We actually wrote papers longhand, we
> actually learned how to *properly* type error-free (yes, with
> typewriters), and we did math problems *on paper*.  If a math problem
> took five pages to "show your work," then so be it.  To this day, I can
> do an integration by parts with trig substitution, not because I'm
> brilliant, but rather because I didn't have the computer shortcut and
> actually had to learn what I was doing and why.  Thank you, Mr. Madden,
> Mr. Ahrens, and all you others.
>   
I have a few years on you (only 12 students with computer access in '66, 
and I believe we were the first school with computer access, Eudlid, OH).

Much of the problem is in the text books, not just the technology. I 
have had to teach all of my children how to really do really factor 
numbers. I used the Sieve of Eratosthenes to help my youngest son to 
really understand factoring. With my oldest son, when I complained to 
the principal (whose son was in the same class), her reply was, "I 
wondered what my son was doing sitting at the dining room table guessing 
numbers". Yes, guessing, no methodology. Computers will not fix this; 
course-work does.

ARGH!
> Schools should go back to that.  It works...REALLY well.  Too many of
> them these days come to a complete, screeching halt if "the computer"
> goes down.  Use the technology, as appropriate...but don't bet every
> aspect of education on that one specific tool called "the computer."
I have heard about all the extra studyhall time when one student puts 
his/her laptop into Adhoc mode wiht the schools SSID (we have this 
problem at the 802.11 conference meetings!) Or run any one of the attack 
programs.