I agree with you that in the workforce we have many resources available to use that we might not have had while in the classroom. The fact of the matter is that the classroom is a learning environment and not a real-world environment. Think about your classroom experiences for a moment, and compare them to your work environment. Do you currently have the opportunity to guess, contemplate or question your answers. I doubt you do because you are expected to have learned a certain set of skills by the time you are employed. The classroom is, or should, be a place of exploration and questioning.
When we deploy every piece of available technology we begin to diminish basic problem solving abilities in our children. Why think about it when I can just looking it up on Google or IM my buddy? Why actually learn math skills when I plug the numbers into my machine and watch the graphs appear? There is no need to learn to plot these graphs myself. I know many people see this as a waste of time, but these core skills are what teach our students how to solve problems, and letting technology do it for them is making them dumber.
As it relates to your specific issue, Fred, the system failed you. Your special learning needs should have been addressed by your individual educators. There is simply nothing else to be said about it. It has nothing to do with the use of technology, but rather the failure of your educators to notice an issue and manage it.
Nov 12 2012: This question encompasses far more than homework; it considers the fundamental roots of our education system today and how it has rapidly changed as technology has advanced. The proliferation of the mobile device, specifically among the younger population, has created an increasingly short attention span. Rather than demand our students learn to read, write and do math in the standard fashion, educators have adapted to this shorter, "sound bite", attention of the new generation. Further, educators feed the need of these children to be entertained and have created a form of "edutainment" using technology, media, info-graphics and quick lessons.
Why do children need an iPad or a computer to learn to multiply? Or to learn a simple history lesson? Or biology? Take the homework question out of the equation. Did many of us not learn these lessons from textbooks and highly qualified teachers? Computer skills are separate from these lessons; I don't deny their importance, but they are not fundamental to teaching the core of the English language, mathematics or science. In fact, computers are often an impediment to teaching children how to spell and write. The cost of education is skyrocketing while the quality is plummeting. Ask yourself why.
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A reply on Conversation: Debate: Should students rely on technology for their homework?
I agree with you that in the workforce we have many resources available to use that we might not have had while in the classroom. The fact of the matter is that the classroom is a learning environment and not a real-world environment. Think about your classroom experiences for a moment, and compare them to your work environment. Do you currently have the opportunity to guess, contemplate or question your answers. I doubt you do because you are expected to have learned a certain set of skills by the time you are employed. The classroom is, or should, be a place of exploration and questioning.
When we deploy every piece of available technology we begin to diminish basic problem solving abilities in our children. Why think about it when I can just looking it up on Google or IM my buddy? Why actually learn math skills when I plug the numbers into my machine and watch the graphs appear? There is no need to learn to plot these graphs myself. I know many people see this as a waste of time, but these core skills are what teach our students how to solve problems, and letting technology do it for them is making them dumber.
As it relates to your specific issue, Fred, the system failed you. Your special learning needs should have been addressed by your individual educators. There is simply nothing else to be said about it. It has nothing to do with the use of technology, but rather the failure of your educators to notice an issue and manage it.
A comment on Conversation: Debate: Should students rely on technology for their homework?
Why do children need an iPad or a computer to learn to multiply? Or to learn a simple history lesson? Or biology? Take the homework question out of the equation. Did many of us not learn these lessons from textbooks and highly qualified teachers? Computer skills are separate from these lessons; I don't deny their importance, but they are not fundamental to teaching the core of the English language, mathematics or science. In fact, computers are often an impediment to teaching children how to spell and write. The cost of education is skyrocketing while the quality is plummeting. Ask yourself why.