Hop, Skip... And Software?

from the this-old-debate dept

Once again, the debate over whether or not computers belong in school shows up. Once again, I think a lot of the argument misses the point. Computers are simply tools - they can be used to help in the education process of a competent teacher, but they can also be used as a crutch for an incompetent teacher. The people who argue against computers in schools seem to believe that once a computer shows up in a school that's the only way a student will learn. However, the fact is, in most classrooms the computers is used to augment the education process. People complaining that those who use a computer aren't really "interacting" with the world apparently haven't heard stories like the one in the article where some students researched a trip to Colonial Williamsburg online before actually visiting the place. The teacher pointed out that the students were the most attentive and asked the deepest questions of any group of students she had brought to Williamsburg - because the computer research got them more interested and knowledgeable for when they actually visited the place. Right now, certainly, there are teachers who don't know how to use computers, and that's leading to some misplaced reliance on computers - but that's a problem that will go away over time as teachers have a better understanding of how computers and technology can help improve the educational process.