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71% of students learn more about IT at home than school

tes.co.uk

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Re: 71% of students learn more about IT at home than school

#2
The topic mislead me a little. Of course it's a problem, that the younger generation grows up with something, that is maybe harder to understand for their teachers, because they didn't grow up with it.

On the other hand, learning is something that happens at home, right? School mainly has the reason to help you structure your learning process, help you with finding exercises and good literature, evaluate your process with exams, answer the questions you have and last but not least kick your ass, if you can't motivate yourself. That you learn something while in school is actually not part of the schools description. So I wonder, how much these 29% "school learners" actually know about IT.

What the teachers need is a natural way of using technology in their classes. For that, they themself must start to use it at home. All these "Web2.0 Online Learning Platforms" that are actually just small CMS to download ppts can not really be all that is to it. My mother changed her major a short while ago and started studying to be a teacher for highschool. She actually thinks that these PPT-CMS systems and IRC-in-browser-integration are(!) Web2.0.

Re: 71% of students learn more about IT at home than school

#3
Not just IT, but nearly all subjects are actually learned mostly outside school. The exceptions are a few topics such as indoctrination into propaganda, and learning docile obedience to authority, which do happen mostly at school.

Falk and Dierking found that 95% of science education happens outside of school. They also found that American adults have greater scientific literacy than the adults of any other nation. Americans only do worse when they are in state schools. Once they are free from them, they become educated.

http://caise.insci.org/uploads/docs/FalkandDierking95perc.pd...

If one wants a more educated populace, the answer is less school, not more. School makes people ignorant, docile, obedient, and kills their natural curiosity and creativity. Also puts them into crippling debt if they keep on the treadmill too long.

Re: 71% of students learn more about IT at home than school

#4
post #3

Not just IT, but nearly all subjects are actually learned mostly outside school. The exceptions are a few topics such as indoctrination into propaganda, and learning docile obedience to authority, which do happen mostly at school. Falk and Dierking found that 95% of science education happens outside of school. They also found that American adults have greater scientific literacy than the adults of any other nation. A…

When you define words and phrases like "subjects," "docile obedience," "science education," "scientific literacy," "educated," "school," and "ignorant" differently than their common usage (as you have done), it is possible to make an argument that says whatever you want, really.

Re: 71% of students learn more about IT at home than school

#5
post #4
post #3

Not just IT, but nearly all subjects are actually learned mostly outside school. The exceptions are a few topics such as indoctrination into propaganda, and learning docile obedience to authority, which do happen mostly at school. Falk and Dierking found that 95% of science education happens outside of school. They also found that American adults have greater scientific literacy than the adults of any other nation. A…

When you define words and phrases like "subjects," "docile obedience," "science education," "scientific literacy," "educated," "school," and "ignorant" differently than their common usage (as you have done), it is possible to make an argument that says whatever you want, really.

Sorry do you have sources? I posted a citation to a reliable study. Sorry you don't like it. I'm surprised you were able to read it so quickly, you must be a really fast reader.

Here's a column of feedback from readers to the study: http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/pub/getting-science-...

I know right, it says "american scientist", based on your comment, that must seem like an oxymoron to you since "everyone knows" americans are stupid and don't do science. I'll be sure to mention that to Neil Armstrong next time I see him.

Re: 71% of students learn more about IT at home than school

#7
post #3

Not just IT, but nearly all subjects are actually learned mostly outside school. The exceptions are a few topics such as indoctrination into propaganda, and learning docile obedience to authority, which do happen mostly at school. Falk and Dierking found that 95% of science education happens outside of school. They also found that American adults have greater scientific literacy than the adults of any other nation. A…

"If one wants a more educated populace, the answer is less school, not more."

This is the most ignorant statement I've seen on HN so far this year. Institutional education is far from perfect, but that hardly means we are better off without it. You denounce education because people manage to learn a lot outside of schools, but the materials and resources that enable such learning are direct byproducts of academia itself.

Re: 71% of students learn more about IT at home than school

#8
In other news, 29% of students are under-educated about IT.

Seriously though, I think it's clear, at least in CS, that if you only do your coursework you'll be left far behind your peers and what employers expect from you. It has to be something you can be passionate about on your own. Getting A's in all your classes but never doing anything outside of them isn't good enough.

Re: 71% of students learn more about IT at home than school

#9
I teach ICT courses at the University level and provide tech support for a non-ICT department as well so I see both sides of this. Simply put, no one has frakking clue what they're doing. Many profs are completely clueless in content and instruction while many students have no idea what they don't know. This shouldn't be too surprising since the field is so new. Even the leading tertiary schools are still figuring out their own ICT curriculum. Second tier schools and secondary schools are completely without guidance. ICT needs another decade or two for instruction to catch up.

Re: 71% of students learn more about IT at home than school

#10
post #7
post #3

Not just IT, but nearly all subjects are actually learned mostly outside school. The exceptions are a few topics such as indoctrination into propaganda, and learning docile obedience to authority, which do happen mostly at school. Falk and Dierking found that 95% of science education happens outside of school. They also found that American adults have greater scientific literacy than the adults of any other nation. A…

"If one wants a more educated populace, the answer is less school, not more." This is the most ignorant statement I've seen on HN so far this year. Institutional education is far from perfect, but that hardly means we are better off without it. You denounce education because people manage to learn a lot outside of schools, but the materials and resources that enable such learning are direct byproducts of academia its…

I think there's room to debate institutionalized vs informal learning methods. Tech skills in market demand evolve faster than institutions can effectively keep up with, which means informal learning is a requisite for becoming competitive anyways. This isn't bad either.

Informal education would rely on certification, internships, and on-site training, which are all cost-effective. I'm just saying a debate could be had :)

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