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Noel Rojo

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Technology and Education Overload.

As technology advances at an exponential rate, will humanity be able to keep up with it? In today’s era, education is a must. However when do we draw a line as to what we teach in schools? With new discoveries, technology, and more specialized areas of study can our brains retain all that information in the same amount of years or should we start teaching specialized courses from an early age?

Topics: Brain Training education information schools technology
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    Erik Richardson 500+

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    TEDx Organizer
    Apr 8 2011: I think the heart of the decision process will be coming to terms with, and constructing a workable decision framework for, the fact that we are effectively cyborgs at this point. We do not need to specialize earlier, and in many ways that would be moving in the wrong direction. Rather, we need to allow that certain skill sets can be moved to the dustbin: long-division by hand, for instance. Students must understand what/why/how for division, but don't spend time walking through the old method. (I teach math at both the elementary and college levels, and this cuts into time we could use for other, better stuff, trust me.) The same is true for spending time learning classifications in biology that can (certainly in Western countries) just be looked up quickly if it should ever (EVER) be needed in 99% of children's lives. Those are two examples, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, more I could enumerate. For heaven's sakes don't burn class time learning junk like Roman numerals, or Mayan. Appreciating cultural history and contributions does not necessitate the ability to replicate it. It might be interesting and valuable in its own way(s); but not more interesting/valuable than 100 other things you could do with that class time instead. Any kid who ever needs to know Roman numerals can, again, just look them up on their handheld/laptop/desktop web portal.
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