The problem with the schools has little or nothing to do ...

Post #197,353 by bluke 3/6/05 8:40:52 AM Reply	The problem with the schools has little or nothing to do ... with Bill Gates and Windows. It is a much more fundamental problem. For you to blame Microsoft is absolutely ridiculous.
Post #197,448 by mmoffitt 3/7/05 8:40:54 AM Reply	So, it's "just a coincidence" that when the first high school graduating class that had the benefit [SIC] of computers in their K-12 education took the SAT exams, their scores were so poor that: 1) The test itself had to be "dumbed down" and 2) For the first time, examinees were allowed to use calculators. Why think? Encarta has all the answers. Lemme guess, you're 20-something. bcnu, Mikem Eine Leute. Eine Welt. Ein F\ufffdhrer. God Bless America.
Post #197,452 by bluke 3/7/05 8:57:49 AM 3/7/05 9:01:48 AM Reply	Actually I am 30 something In 10th grade I had to take a typing course on IBM selectric typewriters. I agree that computers in education as used in most schools are counterproductive, but it is a very big stretch to say that they are the main problem. My wife taught in a public school in NYC a few years ago, (speech, which means that the kids really had problems), how many parents do you think actually came to see her? Very few!! If the parents aren't involved and interested in their children's education then nothing is going to work. Kids to day suffer from a short attention span due to playing video games and watching endless hours of TV, not really related to Microsoft. When I was growing up, I walked around with a book in my hand and was reading every spare minute. How many kids do that today with all the distractions of TV, DVD's, and video games. Again, this has very little to do with the introduction of computers into the classroom. Edited by bluke March 7, 2005, 09:01:48 AM EST Expand All History
Post #197,454 by mmoffitt 3/7/05 9:05:11 AM Reply	Think about that for a minute. I agree with much of what you've said. But given this: When I was growing up, I walked around with a book in my hand and was reading every spare minute. How many kids do that today with all the distractions of TV, DVD's, and video games. Don't you think it's a very good idea to keep electronics to a minimum (or better, eliminate them entirely in K-12) in the classroom? If the rest of their lives are consumed with spending hour upon hour blankly staring into one vdt or another, isn't it fairly clear that schools do not need to add to this problem? Moreover, there has been an alarming trend since the 1980's of students relying upon chip technology for "the answer". Question what the computer says? Never. The computer is infallible. bcnu, Mikem Eine Leute. Eine Welt. Ein F\ufffdhrer. God Bless America.
Post #197,599 by bluke 3/8/05 6:03:42 AM Reply	I don't disagree I just don't think it is the root cause of the problem. If kids don't read at home and their parents are interested in their education they are not going to succeed.
Post #197,653 by mmoffitt 3/8/05 11:46:46 AM Reply	s/are/are not ;0) bcnu, Mikem Eine Leute. Eine Welt. Ein F\ufffdhrer. God Bless America.
Post #197,657 by jake123 3/8/05 11:50:57 AM Reply	That said those of us in gen x (ie- thirtysomethings) have had the benefit of going through the educational system after the baby boom had demanded it be upgraded, but before the baby boom had turned their attention from the educational system to the medical system. --\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \n Kingston Ontario Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n-------------------------------------------------------------------

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