Interesting side note: I coordinate exchange students from the Former Soviet Union that spend an academic year in the U.S. on a State Department-funded program.
My kids cannot believe the calculator dependancy shown by their American classmates. My students have been known to ask their math teachers for slide rules (which thrills their math teachers to no end.) In one unfortunate case, two girls could not figure out how to use the TI-80-something calculator that was lent to them. They felt awful about it and started skipping math class and going to the library instead. Of course both of them had taken Calculus at home and didn't have a need to take an American math course, but it is still a sad story. I require all of my students to take a computer course in their American high school. This is far superior to them paying for a course in their home country. Unfortunately their American peers are so far ahead of them that most of the schools don't offer any introductory level computer courses and I end up sending them to a community center offered "computers for senior citizens" class. Thanks, Katy Pearce Cluster Director, PAX-FLEX [EMAIL PROTECTED] PS, check out our website and our blog (the kids start photo-blogging next week after a weekend of training!): www.flexvermont.org Quoting Taran Rampersad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > Hopping in late here, but I've read this thread with interest. > > Asking people on the wrong side of the Digital Divide to have laptops is > like requiring people on this side of the Digital Divide to have > wearable computers. Reality must set in. I think the laptop requirement > is a gross mistake from where I am, but I also know that if it doesn't > work the administration will have to go find another way to solve > whatever problem they are trying to solve - plus another problem. > > Personally, I think the next great mind will not come from a school with > computers required. If you can't add these numbers in your head within 5 > seconds, you make my point: > > 432+2340 > > Did you do it? > > Will the next generation be able to do it? I fear that all they will be > able to do in their head is calculate how many computers they have. > > -- > Taran Rampersad > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > http://www.knowprose.com > http://www.easylum.net > http://www.worldchanging.com > http://www.fsc.cc > http://www.a42.com > > _______________________________________________ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with > the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. > > > _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
