People seem to have unreasonably high expectations about the effect of more and newer computers to the educational system.
I don't deny that there's some benefit from efficient text processing, from visualization, and from access to information that goes beyond what the textbooks can offer or presents dissenting views. But for those interested in improving their kids' education, there are more important things to focus on.
Education should prepare you for life, and because your primary means of survival is your faculty of reason, the goal of education should be to teach you how to use it---how to think. Sounds strange, considering what they do in school today (and we did---I'm not that old)? Do you think a wireless notebook will make much difference?
The questions of how to choose appropriate curricula and teaching methods and how to attract good teachers are difficult ones. It is so much easier to think that getting lots of cute little boxes with apples or something else on them is the way to go.
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How is this different from what Walker, Kemmerer and Popek did in the 1970s with the UCLA Unix security kernel? See their 1980 paper.
People seem to have unreasonably high expectations about the effect of more and newer computers to the educational system.
I don't deny that there's some benefit from efficient text processing, from visualization, and from access to information that goes beyond what the textbooks can offer or presents dissenting views. But for those interested in improving their kids' education, there are more important things to focus on.
Education should prepare you for life, and because your primary means of survival is your faculty of reason, the goal of education should be to teach you how to use it---how to think. Sounds strange, considering what they do in school today (and we did---I'm not that old)? Do you think a wireless notebook will make much difference?
The questions of how to choose appropriate curricula and teaching methods and how to attract good teachers are difficult ones. It is so much easier to think that getting lots of cute little boxes with apples or something else on them is the way to go.