One major reason why students are not getting an education is the advent of computers. Computers and education are shackled by some myths. Let me suggest a few.
Myth 1. Computers are smart.
Computers are not smart. They are programed by people who try to guess at all the possible outcomes and get the computer to search for them. A good example of this is the spell check. Have you ever had the experience of trying to find the correct spelling for a word and the computer acts like it doesn’t exist? I frequently am forced to turn to my old dictionary to find the right spelling for a word. The problem is that the programers did not put it into the data base. For a specific example, type in the initials NT and OT in your word processor. On all my computers NT is recognized because it matches up with a Microsoft product. OT is not because it is a religious concept. Then you have the differences of opinion between my computer spell check and my blog spell check. Computers have three advantages. They are fast. They do not forget. They do not get tired.
They are also stupid.
To be continued...
homo unius libri
So are MANY of the programmers. They obviously don't know word usage, and their vocabulary is amazingly limited.
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind the audience for their programs and software. Many of the teachers I work with cannot access their voicemail.
DeleteGrace and peace.