[Olpc-open] The computer is the best educational tool ever invented, IMHO! :-)

[Ed Montgomery]

Computers are just another educational tool, such as
books, movies, pen and paper, chalk and blackboard,
etc. I have found computers to be quite possibly the
best educational tool ever invented. (And I've been
teaching for decades, in various schools, in various
countries.)  And they are EXCELLENT tools for
learning, practicing reading/writing, etc.  It is a
CREATIVE tool. And your dismissal of the digital
divide speaks volumes of typical look down your nose
at others attitude.  You did not answer my questions: 
Do you, your colleagues, your children, etc., have
access to and use computers?  Did you not understand
the questions?

Such a lack of compassion for children who have
virtually no access to education, now being given the
opportunity to have a 'school in a box', also speaks
volumes of your ignorance of children, education, etc.
and your arrogance as a Ph.D making pronouncements
based on typical ivory tower, lack of real world
experience, publish or perish (garbage) thinking, etc.

And yes, I am, after many years, extremely gentle,
forgiving, and tolerant of ALL children.  I am not any
of these things with pompous, arrogant, deny children
an extremely valuable educational tool, adult
individuals who waste bandwidth, rather than assisting
what is quite possibly one of the most far seeing
educational projects being done in the world today.

And by all means, if you wish to continue to debate
your point of view, then by all means contact me via
my email above, but stop wasting the time of people
here who are here to actually do something to improve
the educational opportunities of people who currently
have next to none.

And I also agree with the poster about school
management (perhaps in league with child
psychologists), who quite literally make the most
bumbling, incompetent decisions in computer education
that I have ever seen, (undoubtably based on FUD,
flashy advertising and marketing, etc.) and
consistently ignore the input of experienced,
enthusiastic computer teachers! ;-)

Finally, it would seem that governments around the
world, millions of computer users, parents, teachers,
children, doctors, lawyers, police, firefighters,
teachers and other child psychologists, who would
appear to be eager to get computers into the hands of
their children, are not impressed with yours (or
others) 'theories' of the benefits or lack thereof of
computers.



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