Technology In Primary Education, Boon Or Bane?

code_rage writes "This article in the San Francisco Chronicle attacks the zealous use of computers in grade school. In a time of teacher layoffs, San Francisco schools are buying 450 new computers with federal and state grants. The effects on education go beyond the initial costs: educational methods are suffering, as children are learning PowerPoint and teachers are becoming unpaid SysAdmins and content censors. This article is a well-written and brief update to Cliff Stoll's book High Tech Heretic: Why Computers Don't Belong in the Classroom." Update: 12/01 00:40 GMT by T : Ooops II-- "Classroom" is now correctly spelled.

Comments

Re:Conservatives = dumbing down of education.

[JK Master-Slave]

the Harry Potter books, probably the most read book amongst young kids in a long long time,

So many people praise the Harry Potter books as if they're a panacea and have saved another generation from illiteracy.

I feel that book series represents a dangerous 'monoculture' and I don't even think they're that good a series of books. They're far outclassed by Tolkein's books and even CS Lewis' 'Narnia' series.

I find myself around people who said 'kids need to read books, any books are better than none.' I tend to disagree, feeling that children should be exposed to quality books, of wide variety of types. I think the 'children's book' industry, and Scholastica in particular, are obsessed with 'block buster' high volume series. Which are by no means the best books being published, just the most hyped.

I have a niece who is 10 years old and loves the Harry Potter movies. She's functionally illiterate, though, so hasn't read the books. I am certain she's not that unusual a case.