From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Mon Nov 12 22:06:12 2007 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6F48516A46B for ; Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:06:12 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from youshi10@u.washington.edu) Received: from mxout5.cac.washington.edu (mxout5.cac.washington.edu [140.142.32.135]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 49BE913C4B0 for ; Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:06:12 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from youshi10@u.washington.edu) Received: from smtp.washington.edu (smtp.washington.edu [140.142.33.7] (may be forged)) by mxout5.cac.washington.edu (8.13.7+UW06.06/8.13.7+UW07.09) with ESMTP id lACJeTrh003588 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=OK); Mon, 12 Nov 2007 11:40:30 -0800 X-Auth-Received: from [127.0.0.1] (node233.245.100.208.1dial.com [208.100.245.233] (may be forged)) (authenticated authid=youshi10) by smtp.washington.edu (8.13.7+UW06.06/8.13.7+UW07.09) with ESMTP id lACJeOJJ027284 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NOT); Mon, 12 Nov 2007 11:40:27 -0800 Message-ID: <4738AC07.7030307@u.washington.edu> Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 11:39:51 -0800 From: Garrett Cooper User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.6 (Windows/20070728) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Kevin Kinsey References: <20071111195501.46d58539@p4> <200711120704.lAC744lR082341@banyan.cs.ait.ac.th> <4738A434.8020204@chuckr.org> <4738A9E6.30001@daleco.biz> In-Reply-To: <4738A9E6.30001@daleco.biz> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-PMX-Version: 5.3.3.310218, Antispam-Engine: 2.5.2.313940, Antispam-Data: 2007.11.12.112112 X-Uwash-Spam: Gauge=IIIIIII, Probability=7%, Report='__CP_NAME_BODY 0, __CP_NAME_SUBJ 0, __CP_URI_IN_BODY 0, __CT 0, __CTE 0, __CT_TEXT_PLAIN 0, __HAS_MSGID 0, __MIME_TEXT_ONLY 0, __MIME_VERSION 0, __SANE_MSGID 0, __STOCK_PHRASE_7 0, __USER_AGENT 0' Cc: Chuck Robey , freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: One Laptop Per Child X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:06:12 -0000 Kevin Kinsey wrote: > Chuck Robey wrote: > >>>> I am usually not the one to bring up these things but I feel very >>>> strongly about this. Starting Monday, November 12 this website is >>>> offering a give one get one deal. I believe the money will be well >>>> invested. YMMV >>>> >>>> http://xogiving.org/ >>> >>> That is a difficult issue, while this is an opportunity, I doubt this >>> is the most needed thing to provide education. We are talking giving >>> laptop to people who do not even have electricity in some cases... >> >> You ought to actually _visit_ one or more of the schools that have >> practical computers for the kids. At least in my own experience, >> well, it's very disillusioning. The teachers have only a vague >> notion about what a compuiter is, so basically the students are given >> some games to waste their time with, and graded on how quiet they >> are while playing. The teachers themselves are usually actually >> frightened of the machines, so they react negatively to anyone who >> volunteers to teach computers. >> >> I wish it wasn't this way. Maybe it's just in the schools I visited? >> If so, anyone have a better experience? Until I hear of some, I >> won't contribute to any "computers for kids" deal, because it only >> benefits big computer companies, who sell the machines, not the kids. > > I'd say that it is possible your observations have clued you in on > a large problem. Of course, it's likely not that way everywhere, but > one result of a lack of teacher education re: computers is that people > tend to think that they are computer literate if they can handle an > office suite and use a pointy-clicky interface to build web "pages" > --- which explains a few things about the culture at large. > > Another problem is that use of the Internet for research in > writing papers, etc. often misses the crucial "old school" step > of actually writing notes based on the books your read before > you begin the paper. Recently I read a report by a 9th grader that > was composed mostly of direct quotes from Wikipedia, et al, with > no attribution whatsoever. "Copy n Paste" may work in elementary > art classes, but it's no good in academic research unless great > pains are taken to ensure understanding and proper attribution. > > And, this may be near the real heart of the issue. I don't think > that many school administrators feel that games, educational or not, > are the reason that schools should have computers. I think that, in > large extent, computers were added when some of them discovered that > the Internet could give you more volumes of information than the > school library, without leaving your seat or requiring a hall pass. > > And that is why teachers should be a little more geeky, perhaps. > Plugging a child's computer into the network without knowledgeable > and *personal* guidance will pretty much guarantee that most kids > end up on the baser end of the 'Net, rather than the best. And, > for the most part, teachers are no less busy than they were 10, > 20, or 30 years ago. > > My $.02, > > Kevin Kinsey Could you guys please redirect this discussion to chat@? Thanks... -Garrett