Mary Harrsch (mharrsch@OREGON.UOREGON.EDU)
Wed, 09 Dec 1998 16:28:17 -0800
Date: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 16:28:17 -0800 From: Mary Harrsch <mharrsch@OREGON.UOREGON.EDU> Subject: [ifets] "A nice and rich childhood"
I have to be quite honest - Matthias, PhD student in Computer Science and
father of three children - I was stunned by your apparent diatribe against
the introduction of technology in primary grades especially due to your
choice of specialization. I don't know what types of experiences your
children have had in their respective schools but I do know that computers
can act as a doorway to a world of useful information and provide the
opportunity for children to engage in discussion with other children in
other cultures and scientists and scholars engaged in exciting research and
discovery. Computers can create virtual experiences that would be too
expensive or too dangerous for a child to participate in (undersea
adventure, scaling Mt. Everest, etc) and illustrate complex concepts through
animation. You mention music - have you ever explored some of the
children's software titles that provide the ability for the child to compose
their own music, experience the sounds of instruments they have never seen
as well as explore the music of others? Or software that provides
characters, scenery, and props and provides the ability and catalyst for the
child to write their own story or play? How about wildlife simulations that
allow a child to experience life as another creature and gain understanding
of the natural world? As for the importance of word processing or
spreadsheet skills, I think you need to consider how these skills are used
in a knowledge-based society. And learning all that is necessary about
computing in 1/2 year? I have used computers for almost 17 years and I am
learning new and exciting applications every day!
Mary Harrsch ----- mother of two
Network and Information Systems Manager
College of Education
102-K Education
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
(541) 346-3554
http://oregon.uoregon.edu/~mharrsch/index.htm
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