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Demetri Alexander-Lukas

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Debate: Should students rely on technology for their homework?

Today, students use ipods, ipads, phones, laptops, and different tablets to use the internet to help them with their homework. Don't know a word? Google it. Don't know the answer to this math problem? Use a calculator. And so on. Does this make sense?

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Topics: education technology
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    scott lee

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    Nov 8 2012: I think that we are changing our relationship with information and knowledge. We are moving from a focus on knowledge acquisition to knowledge access. Partly this is because knowledge is so accessible that we have less need for memorization. Partly it is because the knowledge based economy is so vast and changing so quickly that it is impossible to know everything about a field, and it is our ability to find the knowledge we need that allows us to function.

    It is a good thing to teach students how to access information on their own and become self learners. However, there is a certain foundation of education that is often required. If you are pursuing a career in engineering it is important to know how to access the relevant building codes you may need for a project. However, you should be comfortable with the physics behind it (You don't want to be teaching yourself Newtonian mechanics on the job).

    The question to me is at what age should technology based homework begin? Will technology become an economic barrier to the public education of kids? Do kids learn better with computers of are they just too full of distractions?

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