te:
> Some thoughts after reading the many responses...
>
> In 1984 I bought a Macintosh computer and dot matrix printer for $2500 to
> use as a TOOL...
I went to grad school for Library Science in 1984 after working for a
company that had a Wang word processing system, and seeing a magazine
article on computers you could use for composing music. As an aspiring
writer and composer, this was when I first saw computers as being useful fo=
r
something other than number crunching.
I still see computers as a TOOL for writing (words), composing, and
arranging. They've also helped me create graphics and do other things that
are useful in my everyday life.
Never, however, have I be into the computer as a gadget in and of itself.
Hmm, check out my blog entry Back to the
Future<http://wordfromg.blogspot.com/2009/03/back-to-future.html>.
I saw things that I could use it for, and then decided to explore them. Onc=
e
I knew what I could use it for, I knew what others could use it for. Now, I
get the feeling that we're in "gadgetland," where we try to push kids into
uses that they don't really have, just because they look cool and "cutting
edge." But then, maybe I'm just an old fogey.
The ipad is nothing more than another tool. It is not a computer or a lapto=
p
> as we know them to have become. I wouldn=92t suggest using it to do
> word-processing with or on---at least not at this time. At least not with
> little kids.
>
I talked to someone who was using her iPad as we watched our daughters'
soccer games one Saturday morning, and she said something that explained
what I wasn't getting. The iPad is an excellent content-delivery device. If
you want to watch or read something, you've got it. But it's not a cheap
laptop. It's not a productivity tool. It's really a better version of the
Kindle.
> Tech educators should be leaders and willing to try new technologies. The=
y
> may not all work but we can't shut down or shut out new tools.
>
But can we admit when they don't work? I spearheaded an experiment with
Palms in the 5th grade six years ago. It was a huge failure. Was it because
it was the wrong device? Was it because the teachers didn't understand them=
,
were afraid to use them, and prevented the kids from using them for things
that would've made sense to them? Was it all of the above? Possibly. But th=
e
important thing was that we were able to say, "OK, this didn't work," rathe=
r
than feeling that we had to justify the initial expense by forcing the next
few groups of 5th graders to use these. Instead, we gave the machines away
to willing faculty members, with the condition that the tech support number
was 1-800-NOT-KEITH.
Oh, and one last thing=85it has been years since a physician has written ou=
t a
> script on a pad of paper. My doctors tap on PDAs while they are talking
> (while facing me---in the same room) and my scripts are submitted
> electronically. Welcome to 2010.
>
Well, your doctor's office has advanced a lot more than mine has. I actuall=
y
asked about that with one doctor, and he said that his practice is looking
into it, but it's so expensive.
--
keg
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Keith E Gatling
Email: keith@gatling.us
Blog: http://wordfromg.blogspot.com
Website: http://www.gatling.us/keith
The fact that I'm open-minded doesn't mean that I have to agree with you.
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