[Edu-sig] Interactive learning: Twenty years later

[Arthur]

I find the articles here quite interesting.  An article from 20 years ago
predicting the effect of computers on education, and the same author's
comments on this article form the perspective of now.

http://www.citejournal.org/vol2/iss4/seminal.cfm

"""
Why was my prediction wrong? I can see a number of reasons. One, already
mentioned, is a tremendous fascination with the Internet, in spite of the
fact that there is little empirical evidence to show it is effective in
helping learning. Another is the rise of the mouse as a computer device.
People had the peculiar idea that one could deal with the world of learning
purely by pointing. An even more important factor is the lack of research in
learning with computers, effective research professionally done with very
large numbers of students.

"""

I disagree about the Internet.  My son would be much less "educated" without
this exposure.  Though I guess the fact is that it was all non-classroom
time. There is in fact an entire child peer culture on the Internet.  The
beauty is it has no particular educational intent.  But it so, as a
byproduct.  My son learned how to write glibly and entertainingly, keeping
up with the wits in a group chat setting.  I know quite well he would be
much less comforatble with the keyboard and and his ability to express
himself with the written word, were it not for the Internet.

I agree about the mouse.   As I have repeated ad infinitum.

Art