Getting Rid of Computers and the Internet.

[bronsin]

Internet leads to lower test scores in schools:

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34174796

I know for sure internet at work leads to drops in productivity. Most posts on this excellent forum happen during the week. Weekends are a desert.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by bronsin

Internet leads to lower test scores in schools:

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34174796

I know for sure internet at work leads to drops in productivity. Most posts on this excellent forum happen during the week. Weekends are a desert.

My little cousin spent many summer days, as did many of her little friends, at Steve & Kate's Camp (a day camp that has now branched out into other states.....link to their site below) when she fit into the age range they accept. I would sometimes pick her up, and became a bit familiar (at the time) with how they have things set up. They had (and have?)....among many other choices...what amounted to an 'Apple lab' well before Apple achieved the level of saturation they now enjoy. The level of what the kids chose (choice is the hallmark of this camp) to learn how to do with technology, even as 4 year olds, was amazing. Although, when still local, the camp was smack dab in the middle of one of the most liberal counties in the U.S., I have to admit that, even with the liberal ethos, this camp (a private BUSINESS) was (and probably still is) run in an effective and efficient manner. Perhaps choice (not being 'guided' to use at a particular time) is akin to some of the countries on the more occasional (1-2 times per week) and of the spectrum in the article you linked to....not being trained to absolutely DEPEND on the technology.

http://steveandkatescamp.com/

[invader166]

Not sure I completely agree with the article. There are quite a few variables that play a big role in the results. For instance, educational standards are different around the world, tests are different around the world, etc.
To get a confirmation of this speculation, I would suggest a different test, where everything is similar/the same (same school, same teachers, same students) with the only difference being computer/technology usage.

[bronsin]

Im pretty sure many students surf the web instead of doing their lessons.

I think that's what theyre getting at.

[why?]

Dumb article and totally false. Terrible educational standards lead to lower test scores. I mean seriously have you seen what these people think is acceptable teaching material? Kids today that graduate college know less that people who graduated 8th grade in the 40's.

Also worth noting is the countries that did well value education first and foremost above everything else. A little pressure to get great grades goes a long way.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by why?

Dumb article and totally false. Terrible educational standards lead to lower test scores. I mean seriously have you seen what these people think is acceptable teaching material? Kids today that graduate college know less that people who graduated 8th grade in the 40's.

Also worth noting is the countries that did well value education first and foremost above everything else. A little pressure to get great grades goes a long way.

This ^^^^. My mother and father's 8th grade/high school/and undergrad years were from 1941-1950. I don't think the 3 elementary schools, 1 middle/'jr high', and one high school in in the school district in my mother's hometown have ever been out of the top 1% in the state of California for however long such assessments have existed...and these 5 schools have existed in that district for the last 94 years. My mother took Latin in the 8th grade, and 4 years of Latin in high school. She applied to two universities, Stanford and UC Berkeley, and was accepted to both. I attended a high school of similar caliber (1/3 of my graduating class = part of the next Freshman class at UC Berkeley...and my class size = almost 500) that is geographically quite close to the one my mother attended. IIRC, my high school only offered 2 years of Latin .....

......I was listening to a radio show recently and a high school teacher from California was one of the callers. The teacher learned that another teacher was showing a film in class. The premise of the film....that the U.S. government orchestrated the tragedies of 9/11....and that the teacher was presenting this to the students as fact. The caller reported the teacher to the administration, and the administration refused to do anything. The caller was told 'It is his class, he can teach it as he sees fit'. Tenure ?