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by James Robertson.
Original Post: Schools don't need computers
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Scoble points to this set of articles on computers and schools. Now, I don't know whether computers are directly causing problems (as argued here) - but I do know this - an astonishing number of students cannot perform basic arithmetic tasks. Watch the fun in any store when the computers and registers go offline - it's a test to see if anyone can calculate bills, and most clerks seem to fail it. What I'd really like to see is a lot more time spent on basics. My wife and I had to drill our daughter ourselves - they simply weren't doing that at all in our supposedly "great" suburban school. Interestingly, the instruction (at least locally) in reading and writing skills seems pretty good - they stress that stuff a lot, and it shows. I would gladly trade away all the computer lab time they get for better mathematics instruction though. And why in the heck do they think it's a good idea to introduce calculators - they started that in 2nd grade! Insanity....
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