Personally, I believe the "computer literacy in schools is everything"
movement is a result of inept teachers and a haywire NEA. Here in the
Washington, D.C. area I have read reports of teachers pushing
'invented' spelling as a method to avoid hurting the challenged
student's self esteem. Educators seem to think the student will
eventually learn to spell correctly later in life or that spell-checks
in software will correct them. What a cop out. I don't believe
students should be introduced to computers (read: word
processors/calculators) until the first year of high school after
mastering basic reading, comprehension, writing and math skills.
Marty
______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
Subject: Re: RETROCOMPUTING LIQUIDATION
Author: classiccmp_at_u.washington.edu at internet
Date: 5/12/98 9:47 PM
When was this thing with "computer literacy in schools is everything"
started? I like computers in schools, but I am tired of looking at
proposed plans to replace 5 MORE classrooms with computer labs. Is
this a classic thing? Would you in general say that computers have
affected education (keeping the discussion OnT, of course).
>
>> snoball wrote:
>> >
>> > Hi, I am a teacher here at the local elementary school in Humble,
TX. To be
>> > honest, the computer department here at the school is rather
pathetic, two
>> > Apple //e's and an XT that was donated that I can't get to work.
To be
>> > frank, these kids are going into a world where they are illiterate
in the
>> > basic workings of a computer. I hate to sound desperate, but I
have just
>> > exausted all leads I know to take on the matter. I saw your ad and
thought
>>
>> Don't panic. Here in New Jersey, the kids are all experts at
>> Nintendo (and some of the brighter lights at hacking security),
>> but damned few can actually read the manuals. Remember, the
>> most important component of "computer literacy" is "literacy".
>> If the kids can read, they can learn computers. If they can't,
>> there's not much else worth teaching them except to pee on the
>> side of the dumpster the cops aren't watching. (I may be a bit
>> prejudiced on the side of reading over computers -- I only have
>> fifty-odd computers, I've got [half bought new] several thousand
>> books, mostly the science fiction I've loved since before the
>> "New Math" was introduced to my grade school [after I'd had the
>> benefit of learning the stuff that worked].)
>> --
>> Ward Griffiths
>> They say that politics makes strange bedfellows.
>> Of course, the main reason they cuddle up is to screw somebody else.
>> Michael Flynn, _Rogue Star_
>
>
>
>
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Subject: Re: RETROCOMPUTING LIQUIDATION
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