[plug] WA Govenment iPads for year 1 and 2 students

[Bernd Felsche]

On Thu, 9 Feb 2012 23:46:40 Euan de Kock wrote:

> Conversely, there is a pragmatic side to the schools decisions,
> when you see business users and trend setters rushing to get iPads
> it is not a difficult choice to want your kids/pupils to be
> exposed to what appears to be the business tools of the future.

Sorry, I find that pragmatism irksome. Schools are supposed to be
for education, not training.

There is a huge difference between schools educating people who will
be able to individually adapt in a rapidly changing world; and
churning out "trainees" who can jump straight into a job, but will
be useless in 5 years because the technology will have (hopefully!)
advanced.

> How many execs have you spotted on the train with an OLPC laptop?,

How many execs have you spotted on a train? They're usually the
muddle-managers, trying to run an Excel macro that they got from a
mate, while the macro keeps downloading pr0n.

> Linux laptop ?, even netbooks seems so noughties now.

IME: People who treat computers as fashion accessories and status
symbols are, with a few exceptions, quite inept as using the devices
for productive work. Companies foist computers (of any shape or
size) on their staff, expecting miraculous leaps in the information
flow. Sadly, the leap is more often than not like a plunge.

"What everybody else is doing" seems to be the catch-cry. Lead by
following the herd. I'm so unkind as to pose the question how they
think they can succeed against competitors if they do everything the
same way.

It is not desirable to have the current generation of children
doomed to stasis, drudgery, conformity and ambitions to mediocrity.
The world will change and leave them behind. Only an education can
help.

-- 
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