[wplug] computer use for the young

[Brad Hoover]

I was interested in this thread of discussion because
of what it says about our society.  Today, it seems
that computer usage or knowledge is seen as an
important skill, and it is to a point.  However this
was a recent occurrence, and I've read or attended
lectures that say computers -- particularly in schools
are not necessarily a good thing for small children.

One of the best sources for alternative opinions about
this is a journal called "Netfuture" written by Steve
Talbott.  In short, Talbott (author of "The Future
Does Not Compute: Transcending the Machines in Our
Midst" published ironically by O'Reilly) feels that
computers are *not* important in general education,
and more reliance on computers as teachers is a bad
thing for everyone.  He writes much more eloquently
than I, so I'm going to give you several links:

http://www.praxagora.com/stevet/fdnc/appc.html
http://www.praxagora.com/stevet/meditations/educ.html
http://www.netfuture.org/2000/Sep1200_111.html
http://www.netfuture.org/2002/Feb1202_128.html

Also I found an article on the subject from The
Chronicle of Higher Education:

http://chronicle.com/colloquy/98/skeptics/background.htm

Finally, in the fall of 2001 Clifford Stoll (whose
name I presume most of you recognize) gave a guest
lecture at Mercyhurst College that I attended.  He
wrote software for UC Berkeley for a while, as well as
doing  but got fed up with it.  He has a computer at
work, but refuses to have one at home.  In fact he
doesn’t even have a TV at home either.  While, I know
this is not really feasible (or enjoyable for that
matter) for everyone, he made a pretty good argument
against educational software of any kind.  He said
knowledge/education is about people, not facts or
abilities.

When someone asked him about “Math Blaster” and the
like, he still said software wasn’t the best choice.
His argument was that teachers, even in subjects where
the repetition is more mundane (foreign language
classes, or some math courses), still make it much
more worthwhile and engaging than machines can.

Anyway, I wanted to play contrarian for the evening
and give you all something to ponder.  Finally, even
if you don’t agree with what Steve Talbott says in the
links about, peruse the back issues of “Netfuture” on
his site.  He’s an excellent writer, IMHO, and he
talks about a wide-range of topics.

Brad

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