[Edu-sig] Beyond CP4E

[Arthur]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kirby Urner [mailto:urnerk at qwest.net]
> To: 'Arthur'; 'Dethe Elza'
> Cc: edu-sig at python.org
> Subject: RE: [Edu-sig] Beyond CP4E
> 
> > And when presented, and only when presented, with specific, substantial
> > and verifiable evidence to the effect there are fundamental learning
> goals
> > that can be achieved by the interaction of children and data-processing
> > machines that cannot be achieved by the interaction of children and
> human
> > teachers, we begin to way costs, and consider options.
> 
> Seems there's an assumption built in to the above paragraph that phasing
> in
> computers is about phasing out human teachers -- the old bugaboo of
> technology displacing skilled workers.  

No there is not, except that there *is* an assumption of limited resources
so that phasing in computers means phasing out *something*, or at least not
phasing in something other than computers. Like, say, smaller class sizes.  

I suppose it we don't assume limited resources the analysis might change -
but then we have an analysis not rooted in the real world, or responsible.

>But I don't see it that way.  The
> synergy is computers *and* human teachers, providing more relevant and
> deeper educations for students, not computers *or* teachers.

It's swell that you see it that way. 

I happen to see a synergy between teachers and old Life magazines, providing
more relevant and deeper education for students - but can't seem to find a
forum for my ideas.  

> We also need to distinguish the many roles a computer might play.
> Consider
> the art history or literature teacher who simply uses a computer hooked to
> a
> projector and the internet to call up images, maybe using the google
> images
> search function (more likely she's found the relevant images in advance).

Maybe we are reading the old Life articles to get a sense of life in the
Fifties, maybe we are cutting out pictures and building collages, maybe we
are taking silly putty and transferring images of faces onto to the putty
and stretching the images and smiling.

Frankly, I'd love to find a way to fit computers in, but between the chess
tournaments, the model building, the old Life magazines - there just doesn't
seem to be time.

Art