TDG Opinions

I doubt that the PC would find a definitive role in the school room any time soon. Let me explain. First, a PC with technology that provides interactive learning and development of thinking would basically compete with the mandated curriculum requirements that heavily depends on teacher-student interaction. The annual student knowledge testing is a classic example where the teachers spend a large portion of teaching preparing students for it. Second, the fear of the PC surplanting teaching (and by default teachers) is real and drives the use of PC to a secondary and sometimes benign role within the classroom. Let's not mention the lack of PC training among teachers as an obstacle that needs to be overcomed. Lastly, the lack of dynamic and student oriented computer designed curriculum hinders implementing a viable PC based educational program. Yes there are some programs out there that do provide some of these features, but by and large, these are few and do not really address the perceived curriculum needs as expressed by the state or the educational establishment. Implementing more PC in the classroom requires "out-of-the-box" thinkers who see possibilities and potential in student to PC interaction. Take video games. I am seeing an interest in using video gaming as educational tool. How about AI programs that can hold a discourse with the student and therefore improve their learning experience?  Until the software and hardware developers see financial gain indeveloping real time interactive educational systems, the PC will always lag behind the school room even though it is center stage in the student''s home life.

We will be discussing some of these issues about knowledge and learning in the Web 2.0 era, at our blog -- Akahele.org.

Also, you'd almost certainly be interested in Andrew Keen's work, over at:  http://andrewkeen.typepad.com/

May I suggest the book "The Trouble with Boys" by Peg Tyre.  Specifically  Chapter 13 "(Video) Games Boys Play" and the subsection "Gaming for Knowledge" on page 195.  Although this book is about the growing gender gap of our boys due to school systems having changed dramatically teaching and classroom styles over the last 20 yrs often to the detriment of boys especially in in reading and writing, this section does give some good leads on current studies and actual educational experiments relative to your thoughts.  There seem to be some advantages to teaching via computer for some students especially because it can engage those that need a more intense involvement and "action" to stay interested as opposed to  the "chalk and talk" method.  However, there are just as many benefits of personal instruction, many of which can be far more abstract or have vast long term impact both of which are so much more difficult to measure as opposed to clear cut mathematical measurements from computer and of course the whole basis of a getting a  good education contains two major variables which can screw up any research----1.  the skills of the teacher and 2. the willingness of the student

Also most of us are from generations that makes a clear distinction between physical reality and virtual reality.  This current and upcoming generation does not have any such distinctions.  They are intertwined as part of one overall reality so it makes less black and white than debating the benefits/consequences of learning via personal or computer interaction.  We must be careful not to approach from our "older" perspective when we design research studies because it is different than those who have never known a time without computers being as commonplace as having an electric light bulb in your house.

As for your rhetorical suggestion of "googling" a solution, I could not resist having a little fun with you.  So within moments of typing in these search words "educational debate teaching human vs computer" One of the first hits that came up was this paper which also leads to many other references and current ideas on this very subject.  This paper deals with the designing computers to be able to have a debate with the user, which is touted as the biggest disadvantage to computers as teachers vs human beings.  I'm sure that more surfing would indeed yield more results than I could possibly process and will actually leave me more confused so I'll stop at just this one.

www.csc.liv.ac.uk/.../YuanMooreGrierson.pdf

The main drawback is that if the human puts in an illogical answer, the computer lacks the ability to effectively process and deal with this information.

Although I am neither phile nor phobe of computers, I agree with you that the use computers in education is indeed as important as the invention of printing press (and cheap paper, a vital component which came MUCH later---often true revolutions come in many small steps rather than one huge leap--we still have many steps ahead of us in computer usage)  However, the caveat is that computers only offer a means of disseminating information but has no concience as to the actual validity of it.  ("But if it's in print, or on the net, it must be true!" )

The "wisdom of all previous generations" as you called it, might be readily available online but reading it and actually comprehending it are very different things.  True wisdom has been quite accessable for centuries but only for those who truely seek and the challenges that come with seeking are a large part of a never-ending lesson----this also is a very human experience.  Computers may be able to expose one to ideas that one might otherwise not have found but the internal shift of understanding rather than parroting can only come from experiencing one's own humanity.

The human element is at it's best when interacting with others whether in person or such forums as my current online interaction with you.  The computer must be kept in perspective as a tool or aid not a substitute.  It will always take the human element to come up with creating something that never existed or the next seemingly illogical idea in the face of current convention and knowledge to allow us to progress as a species.  The earth was once regarded as the center of the universe; let us be careful not put computers at the center of ours.

this is sweeettttttttt

=D

Response to Bill Melendez's post:

I'm in complete agreement with you, except for the doubts expressed in the first sentence. My "fear" is that they will be shoved into the center stage by ... lets say "some" can gain by appearance of doing "great" things for the education. Thus, raising awareness of the problem is needed and, as you said, serious work on systems that aid curriculum. The latter one is much harder (I know, I'm in the process of "doing/trying it").