[558] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: unkind remarks about K-12
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (DHWalker@uci.edu)
Fri Apr 5 16:03:57 1991
Date: Fri, 5 Apr 91 12:17:48 -0800
To: bzs@world.std.com
From: DHWalker@uci.edu
Cc: com-priv@psi.com
Barry,
>I support the idea of exposing children to networking as early and
>pervasively as possible. For the same reasons I would march a child
>into a museum, or the symphony, or a research facility.
Amen! Let's remember, though, that the important things in your examples
are the museums, symphonies, *and* teachers, not the busses and highways.
The busses and highways are absolutely necessary (and costly), but are not
nearly as interesting as the destinations.
I think we need to put some careful thought to the network equivalents of
the museums and symphonies. Also, we need to ensure that teachers are able
to instruct students in the use of these services. Without that, I think
we'll just end up with the kind of situation that's all too common in K-12
today, where a room is set aside with a mix of donated equipment and an
assigned teacher who monitors the use of the equipment by students who know
much more than the teacher. I don't think we do anyone a very big favor by
donating a network connection into that room.
By the way, I'm not suggesting that we wait for a comprehensive plan
addressing the pedagogic uses of networks. I agree with Dan Schlitt's
comment that we need to put *something* out there and wait for applications
to develop. I just think that one or two museums (or libraries) and some
teacher training should be available from the start.
David Walker
Network Services Manager
UC Irvine
DHWalker@uci.edu
