I know the world is on a computer driven technology kick right now but…while I see the many advantages in medicine, business, entertainment… I have to admit I am not completely sold on the shift when it comes to education.  From what I see, the kids are being enabled to the point of disability on some levels and I am greatly worried by it, especially in math.

In my classes, for the last two days, the kids have been working on geometric transformations.  They are doing it completely “old school” (I despise this term) with protractors, pencils and small trapezoids.  Sadly, they are struggling mightily in ways they should not be.  They cannot trace around a shape, cannot visualize mentally and many will not even attempt it if it gets even a little difficult.

The act of picking up a pencil should not be discounted as it is.  Current brain research supports the power that picking up a pencil does for the engagement of a brain.  A computer screen has no such power.  What I am seeing in action is the human hand and the ancient technologies of paper and pencil outstripping, outshining and empowering beyond anything a computer can do at this level of learning.  I see kids trying, persevering, creating, helping, enjoying and learning, learning, learning.  What is more important…I can see and know exactly what they are producing using my own eyes and I have the hard evidence to prove it.  I cannot do that with the computers.

I think we should be very, very careful of what we are so freely giving away to software and electronics.  It may just be that we are accepting our own obsolescence…at great cost to our children and without even a decent fight.