[LINK] The internet makes poor kids stupider

[Marghanita da Cruz]

ARTHUR,Evan (Dr) wrote:
> David quoted a Register article about the impact of computers on students in North Carolina.  This research has been around for a while and got a significant run in the Australian media some time back (sorry can't find the time to cite references).  It is worth having a look at the actual research. Essentially it is testing for correlations between data sets which contain information on test scores and data sets which contain information on the penetration of computers/broadband in the home.  The data sets do not contain information relevant to computer penetration in schools, let alone how computers are being used in the home or in schools.
> 
<snip>

Something, which does need to be considered is that kids
with access to computers at School, is that they are on the
Digital Superhighway.

We are aware of the fatal problems young drivers face and
the cyber education needs to go beyond filters, numeracy and
literacy.

The Internet must be one of the greatest motivator to kids
- even if it is just the Soccer Stats and Country names that
they understand.

Human beings learn both formally and informally. Education
is about application of knowledge and assessing effects of
actions. If kids do not see good use of technology (and
unfortunately there are too many poor examples) and the
responsibilities in using email/the web and computers, then
they will grow up stupid digital natives.

The quality control of systems used in Schools and Education
has to be very high, this should ofcourse be possible as with a
national curriculum there is an economy of scale.

At the same time, these must not be faceless computers.
> Firing off e-mails and cueing up videoconferences get work done fast, but not necessarily well, research by a University of Illinois business leadership expert found.
> 
> Gregory Northcraft says high-tech communication strips away the personal interaction needed to breed trust, a key ingredient in getting workers to pull together and carry their share of the load.
> 
> ?Technology has made us much more efficient, but much less effective,? he said. ?Something is being gained, but something is being lost. The something gained is time and the something lost is the quality of relationships. And quality of relationships matters.? 
<http://news.illinois.edu/news/10/0616comm.html>

It would be good to know that this is in place  both in
the quality of the systems, adherence to open standards
and in the assessment of children and teachers in
Australian Schools.

Marghanita
-- 
Marghanita da Cruz
http://ramin.com.au
Tel: 0414-869202