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We've been promised that computers would revolutionize education for the last 30 years. Computers are amazing tools for open-ended play and exploration. But the

by DavidSJ 12y ago

We've been promised that computers would revolutionize education for the last 30 years. Computers are amazing tools for open-ended play and exploration. But there's no place for open-ended play and exploration in our school system. Desktop computers -- and today, tablets -- have been round-pegged into the existing school structure: they're aids to do your homework, and that's about it. You can look something up on Wikipedia for your history essay, but want to dick around in Python for 6 hours or build something amazing in Minecraft with people from another continent? Good luck.

lostcolony 12y ago
You can look something up on wikipedia, then be told by the teacher that Wikipedia is not a primary source when you try and cite it. So you look at Wikipedia's citations, and find they're paywalled. The internet is conducive to learning; it's not conducive to our educational establishment's hoops.
- bluedino 12y ago
  And before computers you had to use more sources than just the encyclopedia.
Decade 12y ago
Utopian ideas never play out as intended in reality. Re: The history of radio and TV, how people thought they would be educational tools. Computers are tools of limitless possibility, but I hardly ever see them used that way. Much more often, I see kids use the computers to play shooting games and watch pirated streams of sports broadcasts. I think this is partly the baneful legacy of Bill Gates, with his attitude that only he gets the privilege of modifying his software and ordinary people pay him to receive his perfect writings. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Letter_to_Hobbyists http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Letter_to_Hobbyists Computers and the Internet are a major challenge to traditional schooling, however. I see very few kids try to wrestle with the questions. For example, in the Great Gatsby, why would Tom lie about Daisy being a Catholic? http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/why-would-tom-lie-about-daisy-being-catholic-351287 http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/why-would-tom-lie-about-... Change a few words, homework is done, time for more League of Legends. The whole curriculum needs to be redone. We need the freedom to dick around, but we must also recognize that very, very few kids will make anything good out of it.

by DavidSJ 12y ago

lostcolony 12y ago

You can look something up on wikipedia, then be told by the teacher that Wikipedia is not a primary source when you try and cite it. So you look at Wikipedia's citations, and find they're paywalled. The internet is conducive to learning; it's not conducive to our educational establishment's hoops.

bluedino 12y ago
And before computers you had to use more sources than just the encyclopedia.

Decade 12y ago

Utopian ideas never play out as intended in reality. Re: The history of radio and TV, how people thought they would be educational tools. Computers are tools of limitless possibility, but I hardly ever see them used that way. Much more often, I see kids use the computers to play shooting games and watch pirated streams of sports broadcasts. I think this is partly the baneful legacy of Bill Gates, with his attitude that only he gets the privilege of modifying his software and ordinary people pay him to receive his perfect writings. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Letter_to_Hobbyists http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Letter_to_Hobbyists Computers and the Internet are a major challenge to traditional schooling, however. I see very few kids try to wrestle with the questions. For example, in the Great Gatsby, why would Tom lie about Daisy being a Catholic? http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/why-would-tom-lie-about-daisy-being-catholic-351287 http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/why-would-tom-lie-about-... Change a few words, homework is done, time for more League of Legends. The whole curriculum needs to be redone. We need the freedom to dick around, but we must also recognize that very, very few kids will make anything good out of it.