Will Wikipedia Replace Your Kid's Teacher?, The “Blue Screen Of Death” For Education Options Rating

[Herschelkrustofsky]

Obama has been hanging out with Bill and Melinda Gates , and other persons who really care about education. Their consensus seems to be that all those people who said that a high student-to-teacher ratio was harmful were wrong, and that we can really think about getting rid of a lot of those teachers and replacing them with on-line instruction. With increasing emphasis on drill-and-grill and other regressive educational techniques, does this not put Wikipedia in more significant role as an educational [ahem] resource?

[Jon Awbrey]

Miami Herald • Florida Lawmakers, Jeb Bush Foundation Push For Private Online Education

Tallahassee • More students could learn from a laptop in their bedroom rather than a whiteboard in a brick-and-mortar classroom under a pair of proposals in the Florida Legislature that would dramatically expand virtual school.

So many jokes, so little time …

Jon

[The Joy]

Miami Herald • Florida Lawmakers, Jeb Bush Foundation Push For Private Online Education

Tallahassee • More students could learn from a laptop in their bedroom rather than a whiteboard in a brick-and-mortar classroom under a pair of proposals in the Florida Legislature that would dramatically expand virtual school.

So many jokes, so little time …

Jon

It's the same arguments against libraries. "Why do we need libraries anymore when we have the Internet, Google, and Wikipedia?" Seriously, there are people wanting libraries gone for those reasons.

Education isn't just about information and facts. It's about learning skills, how to think, how to be a productive member of society. Skills can't be learned without human interaction. I can give a child a book, but what good does it do if he can't read it?

As you say, "So many jokes, so little time..." Thing is, no one's laughing.

[Anna]

Miami Herald • Florida Lawmakers, Jeb Bush Foundation Push For Private Online Education

Tallahassee • More students could learn from a laptop in their bedroom rather than a whiteboard in a brick-and-mortar classroom under a pair of proposals in the Florida Legislature that would dramatically expand virtual school.

So many jokes, so little time …

Jon

It's the same arguments against libraries. "Why do we need libraries anymore when we have the Internet, Google, and Wikipedia?" Seriously, there are people wanting libraries gone for those reasons.

Education isn't just about information and facts. It's about learning skills, how to think, how to be a productive member of society. Skills can't be learned without human interaction. I can give a child a book, but what good does it do if he can't read it?

As you say, "So many jokes, so little time..." Thing is, no one's laughing.

One in five Americans do not even have computers. They have to go to a drive, or, more likely, given that many of these people are low income, walk all the way to the library, or, if they are lucky, some other public location offering public computer access. Some of the lucky ones who live in places with decent public transit may even get to take a bus or subway! There, they have to sign up to use a computer, and, if there's a lot of low income people around, as is common in places where affordable housing can be found, they could spend awhile waiting.

Although, I wouldn't call "the Internet, Google, and Wikipedia" the top reasons why public computers are important to people. Believe you me, when a person only has 15 minutes, half an hour, or, if they are lucky, a whole hour to spend on a public computer, they prioritize. They take care of the most important business first. Things like job applications, college applications, business and legal stuff, public assistance applications, grant and scholarship applications, their bank account. Although, given the limited amount of time such people have on the computer, it might better for them just to go to the bank. After the important stuff, if they still have time, they are likely to check e-mail and keep in touch with friends who fail to keep in touch in an easier manner, like a telephone. Learning for the fun of it is pretty low on the list. That's what all the books are for. A public library only offers a few computers for its patrons, but plenty of books.

Now, this is really a shame, given how many perfectly good, working computers are thrown into the landfill, or, worse, shipped to China by bogus recyclers. (Note: A computer is considered working as long as the hardware is in decent shape; the operating system can be replaced.) Even most non-working computers could be salvaged for parts. It is senseless to throw it out just because one component has failed. If people instead gave their unwanted computers to the computerless people, or else to charities like Free Geek who could fix them up and do so, it would really help a lot of people and keep the computers out of the landfill awhile longer.
http://www.osnews.com/story/23451/Smart_Re...inux_Goes_Green

In the meantime, closing the libraries because of "the Internet, Google, and Wikipedia" is nuts, given how many people cannot access "the Internet, Google, and Wikipedia" WITHOUT the libraries, not to mention more important internet services.