Shocking, I know, to see two posts from me in just two days, but I read an article and it spoke to me about the ubiquity of technology, and how it is turning us (Western world, mostly) into unthinking automatons to our technological devices. The author spoke of how he probably couldn't remember simple phone numbers, since the technology available makes it so you don't have to.
He spoke of attempting to turn off a television manually (gasp) when the remote was unavailable - and failing to be able to short of pulling the plug. He spoke of people unable to use a dictionary when spell check fails to provide the correct fix.
There is nothing wrong with using the technology, but what brings it home to me, is when I am watching my daughter struggle with homework (like last night) and how those struggles make her think, rather than simply pushing the buttons. Thinking through long division is decidedly slower, less accurate and more painful than using a calculator, but - and it's a big but - it requires actual thinking. It makes her synapses fire and that is a Good Thing. Though I do wish she would have embraced the technology of the word processor for the report. Rewriting your draft three times to the final draft is taking the manual over the technology method to an extreme, and in a Bad Way.
So here's to you, Struggling With Long Division Girl: those struggles will make you smarter.
A link to the article.
He spoke of attempting to turn off a television manually (gasp) when the remote was unavailable - and failing to be able to short of pulling the plug. He spoke of people unable to use a dictionary when spell check fails to provide the correct fix.
There is nothing wrong with using the technology, but what brings it home to me, is when I am watching my daughter struggle with homework (like last night) and how those struggles make her think, rather than simply pushing the buttons. Thinking through long division is decidedly slower, less accurate and more painful than using a calculator, but - and it's a big but - it requires actual thinking. It makes her synapses fire and that is a Good Thing. Though I do wish she would have embraced the technology of the word processor for the report. Rewriting your draft three times to the final draft is taking the manual over the technology method to an extreme, and in a Bad Way.
So here's to you, Struggling With Long Division Girl: those struggles will make you smarter.
A link to the article.
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