[K12OSN] Making K12LTSP 'school friendly'

richard ingalls aslansreturn at yahoo.com
Thu Feb 10 17:58:18 UTC 2005


--- Julius SzSzelagiewiczjujuliusurtle.com> wrote:

> -----BEGIN PGPGPIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHSHA
> 
> > On Wed, 2005-02-09 at 09:28, Julius
SzSzelagiewicz> wrote:
> >> Les,
> >>  you are so optimistic, so into the bright future
> What we have now does *not*
> warrant the wholesale
> abandonment of books, on the contrary - the book
> learning is now
> desperately needed to get kids to actually think and
> write. Those that I
> see on job interviews are most certainly incapable
> of either. The one
> obvious omommissionn our discussion is that to use
> any tool, you need to
> know the job you are trying to do. Computers can
> help in solving problems,
> but you better know how to think before you use
> them, otherwise you end up
> with  ... well, you end up with high school
> graduates that I get to see.


agreed.  thinking skills are what is important here. 
in fact (and in theory), isn't that what ALL
teaching/learning is geared towards? - the teaching of
thinking skills?  in algebra, we are learning thinking
skills (problem solving skills and tools) that are
geared toward algebra.  in language, we are learning
how to think, both logically and creatively, as it
pertains to language. etc...

BUT, to often in industrialized nations, our approach
towards education is "for the masses".  think Pink
Floyd's "the Wall" - plugging students into the meat
grinder and "hamburger meat" comes out.  everyone and
everything is uniform now.  so nice and easy to deal
with in a classroom....

now i'i'mhowing my educational roots.  this is all
stuff covered in a basic history of education or
educational philosophy class.  but basically education
serves two functions, one is geared toward bourgeois
and working class people (plplebians and the other is
geared toward the aristocrats (patricians).  hence, we
have trade schools and shop classes and we have AP
Calculus... all for the working class.  then we have
private schools, boarding schools and ivy league for
the aristocrats.

what i love about my K12LTLTSPabs is that is gives a
chance for the "working class" to use some very cool,
very sophisticated software and do some of the same
things that students in more wealthy schools get to
do.  now, the only concern is how to get the teachers
to learn to use the stuff and how to get them to teach
our kids to THINK CRITICALLY.

Oh, that's not the only concern.  I really need to get
sound working in my labs... that'll be posted seseparatelyhough.


		
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