Re: The kids are getting dumber....

In article <1124701525.273864.55540@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
ineedyourluvin1@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

> Okay everyone who has posted in this topic. I have read
> a majority of the postings. This topic was created by me
> to convey a point. Let me just get down to it.
> The youth in this country and most abroad don't like
> boring things. Their minds have been trained with
> constant stimuli. The TV set, internet, and pop music
> keep their helpless little minds constantly in overdrive
> with little to no chance to sort it all out! No wonder kids
> are having a tough time focusing. No wonder

There may be some truth to that. But to whatever extent it's true, it
wipes our your argument that the problem is with the schools. You're
simply supporting my position - that they schools are every bit as good
(or bad, if you wish) as they always were but they look worse because of
lack of parental involvement.

> we need to give them laptops to make their education
> 'interesting and less boring' . In this topic someone
> has said :
>
> "They will still learn basic arithmetic and algebra.
> It'll just help to eliminate computational errors, instead
> allowing the students to focus on procedure and concepts.
> Rather than spending 5-6 years drilling students in
> basic arithmetic. It would only take two or three, and then
> they can start learning algebra."
>
> Ok there is a big problem with this. Solving math problems
> is fundamental to solving other problems. To begin
> to understand algebraic procedures you need to have a
> good understanding of basic math ! It also helps to be able
> to do the math mentally. So would it be good to take
> away mental math and replace it with computational concepts ?
> This can be compared to excesise videos and real excerisise.
> You will know how excersise is done but you cant really do any!
> So in the end this will turn out weak minds and weak minds
> can't think for very long periods of time without fatigue.
> Ahhhh! Short attention spans!!! See ? Some poeple
> may also say

Who ever suggested that students shouldn't learn basic math or learn to
do math in their heads? Nice strawman argument.

Most people advocating computers in education advocate it as a way to
improve skills not as a way to bypass skills.

>
> "writing on paper is a useless skill."
> and "What advantage does reading from a book have over
> reading from a pdf file?"
>
> Writing with pencil and paper is just as valuable as
> computing math problems in your head. A paper
> book far outwieghs the pdf file. Let's ask ourselves
> some questions. What happens if the power goes out?

Well, if the power goes out, my laptop still works for 2 hours. OTOH, if
I'm using a book, the lights are out and I can't read it.


> What if your computer gets infected with a worm/virus ?

Get a Mac instead.

> What if the harddrive burns out with ALL YOUR WORK on it ?

Then you get another copy of the pdf and reinstall.

> You see books can't crash and paper can't be destroyed
> by hackers. Both books and paper function without

Really? Books can't be destroyed? You've never heard of fire? Or books
being dropped into mud puddles? Or kids tearing books up? The average
book in most public schools is pretty badly beaten up.

> electricity! So do pencils by the way ;-)

If anyone had advocated the elimination of pencils, you might have a
point.

> I suppose one could lose paper but it's highly
> unlikely one would lose all of his paperwork all at once.

Yet it happens all the time.

> To sum it all up it looks as though this trend will continue.
> Low test scores, etc, etc... Got to give laptop to make
> problem go away. Kids to become more obese.

Obesity also happens to be a parental problem, not a school one (in
general).

> Can't solve problems without calculator. Take it way and
> their screwed ! Just give it back and they can do math !
> What a dumbed down slave generation it has become.......

Your last sentence appears to be accurate - if you are any indication.
.

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