1. Group Activity 1.3 Pros and Cons of Computers in the Classroom By: Nancy Scully Kim Robichaud Kim Robichaud Wendy Mclaughlin Wendy Mclaughlin Edward Tracy-Gould Edward Tracy-Gould

2. In his book, High Tech Heretic, Clifford Stoll states:

3. You certainly can get an excellent education without a computer(p32) and that “[w]hen every student…is pressed to become a computer maven, and only the incompetent are allowed to become plumbers, neither our programs or our pipes will hold water(p.123)

4. Who is Clifford Stoll? Berkeley astronomer Berkeley astronomer A commentator for MSNBC A commentator for MSNBC A Leading expert on Computer security A Leading expert on Computer security Author of - The Cuckoo’s Egg : A true story about computer espionage. Author of - The Cuckoo’s Egg : A true story about computer espionage. - Silicon Snake Oil : Second thoughts on the Information Highway - Silicon Snake Oil : Second thoughts on the Information Highway - High Tech Heretic: - Why Computers don’t belong in the classroom - High Tech Heretic: - Why Computers don’t belong in the classroom Stay at home father Stay at home father

5. Clifford Stoll’s Philosophy on Computers in the Classroom Information obtained from “And In This Corner …The ‘High Tech Heretic’! (an e-interview with Education World 2005) Kids have enough exposure to electronic messages. Computers provide kids with information, they don’t help them learn. Computers subtract from student-teacher relationship and directs it to student computer relationship.

6. Computers focus on students getting information, rather than creating and exploring. Computers focus on students getting information, rather than creating and exploring. Money should be spent on reducing class size, more prep time for teachers, improving school grounds so kids can study nature, providing lessons on humanities and technologies Money should be spent on reducing class size, more prep time for teachers, improving school grounds so kids can study nature, providing lessons on humanities and technologies

7. Bill Gates on Clifford Stoll There’s certainly the need, as people get caught up in the excitement of all this stuff, to have someone who can take the opposing viewpoint and point out, in some cases, correctly, how,’hey, it’s still all fairly hard to use and still fairly expensive. Let’s not lose sight of what was good about the previous way of doing things.’ there’s definitely a role there and I think he’s done very well positioning

8. himself for that devil’s advocate-type role. Sometimes I think he underestimates how, over the next few years, the industry will do a very good job of getting rid of some of the limitations he criticizes. His book, Cuckoo’s Egg, was my favorite of his two books. himself for that devil’s advocate-type role. Sometimes I think he underestimates how, over the next few years, the industry will do a very good job of getting rid of some of the limitations he criticizes. His book, Cuckoo’s Egg, was my favorite of his two books. - www.edge.org www.edge.org

9. It’s true that computers are not the be all and the end all of education. Nothing replaces good teaching as there will always be a “need for the human factor” (Robyler, p.10) As teachers, we agree with this statement. However, as educators, we believe in what Miller(2001) calls the “societal inevitability. ”We need to prepare our students for the future in everyway possible and this includes the area of technology. Nor can we refute the research that supports the learning of students using computer based programs.

10. If we are careful in our planning, and implementation of technology, no one can deny the facts that technology can: Motivate students by engaging them and increasing attention. Provide unique capabilities for instruction Support for new instructional approaches Increase teacher productivity resulting in more time for students Prepare students for living in an information age with literacy now taking various forms (technological, informational, visual and media literacy)

11. Stoll’s ancestors?