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NYC phone ban reveals some students can't read clocks

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Re: NYC phone ban reveals some students can't read clocks

#91

Post by pedalpete »

modeless wrote: post #28
pedalpete wrote: post #10

This makes me wonder what methods of transferring information we may have lost historically that we don't even recognize? Will there be analog clocks in 30 years? It seems somewhat doubtful, particularly if this generation can't read them. What benefit is there to keep this antiquated method around, aside from just as an historical reference? I'm in my 50s, so I can read an analog clock, and I have analog watches. Bu…

My kids are spending hours of class time in school learning Roman numerals. The correct amount of education about Roman numerals is a short form video of math trivia when you're 23. Zero classroom time should be wasted on an inferior system of numerals.

This is great!

I already look at the roman numeral count of the Olympics and I'm like...I have no idea anymore.

Re: NYC phone ban reveals some students can't read clocks

#92

Post by techjamie »

TechRemarker wrote: post #81
pedalpete wrote: post #10

This makes me wonder what methods of transferring information we may have lost historically that we don't even recognize? Will there be analog clocks in 30 years? It seems somewhat doubtful, particularly if this generation can't read them. What benefit is there to keep this antiquated method around, aside from just as an historical reference? I'm in my 50s, so I can read an analog clock, and I have analog watches. Bu…

Cursive writing first that comes to my mind.

I'm a millennial and would struggle to write anything past my own name in cursive anymore. I can confirm this.

Re: NYC phone ban reveals some students can't read clocks

#93

Post by techjamie »

izacus wrote: post #38
TheChaplain wrote: post #14

The fact that US children doesn't know how to read clocks doesn't surprise me, but what about other countries? Is reading a clock taught to students in India, Japan, China, Chile?

Aren't most children taught how to read them by parents, not in schools?

I was taught in school, though my parents did show me prior to that.

Re: NYC phone ban reveals some students can't read clocks

#94

Post by j_w »

The comments about analog clock reading being not a worthwhile skill are telling, but not in a good way.

Analog clocks are still very prevalent today. People buy smartwatches, but plenty of people also buy analog watches. Some people even display an analog clock on their smart watch.

Analog clock reading is a completely valid educational tool as well. It takes some basic spatial reasoning. Division, approximation, rounding, some beginnings of the ideas useful later in trig.

In 10+ years will people on Hackernews be arguing about how reading is useless because of progression text to speech and speech to text makes it effectively a useless endeavor?

Re: NYC phone ban reveals some students can't read clocks

#95

Post by flobosg »

TheChaplain wrote: post #14

The fact that US children doesn't know how to read clocks doesn't surprise me, but what about other countries? Is reading a clock taught to students in India, Japan, China, Chile?

Earlier this week I met a friend who teaches undergraduate courses at a Chilean university. They told me that some of their students don’t know the meaning of “counterclockwise”.

Re: NYC phone ban reveals some students can't read clocks

#96

Post by amitav1 »

amitav1 wrote: post #31
ekjhgkejhgk wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bullshit. Information is everywhere, if they WANTED to learn how to read them they could go on wikipedia or youtube. That excuse could've worked when I was a teenager, where to learn something you have to either learn it from a person or from a book, but not nowadays.

Is learning how to read an analogue clock really an effective use of one's time? I myself was taught how an am able to read an analogue clock, but I doubt that I would be much worse off without that abulity.

No pun intended

Re: NYC phone ban reveals some students can't read clocks

#97

Post by doom2 »

Animats wrote: post #47
pedalpete wrote: post #10

This makes me wonder what methods of transferring information we may have lost historically that we don't even recognize? Will there be analog clocks in 30 years? It seems somewhat doubtful, particularly if this generation can't read them. What benefit is there to keep this antiquated method around, aside from just as an historical reference? I'm in my 50s, so I can read an analog clock, and I have analog watches. Bu…

> This makes me wonder what methods of transferring information we may have lost historically that we don't even recognize? - Gregg shorthand. - Labanotation (like music scores, but for dance) - Morse code - Punched tickets (not for machines, but for train tickets and bus transfers) - Railroad car chalk markings (where does this car go?) - Hand signals for railroad yards, cranes, etc.

> - Morse code

I would argue that Morse code is not only alive and well in the amateur radio hobby but actively being adopted by younger people both in and out of the hobby. I just got a holiday card from a college friend whose 6 year old has taken an interest in Morse code despite knowing nothing about the existence of amateur radio.

Re: NYC phone ban reveals some students can't read clocks

#98

Post by lucyjojo »

doom2 wrote: post #97
Animats wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This makes me wonder what methods of transferring information we may have lost historically that we don't even recognize? - Gregg shorthand. - Labanotation (like music scores, but for dance) - Morse code - Punched tickets (not for machines, but for train tickets and bus transfers) - Railroad car chalk markings (where does this car go?) - Hand signals for railroad yards, cranes, etc.

> - Morse code I would argue that Morse code is not only alive and well in the amateur radio hobby but actively being adopted by younger people both in and out of the hobby. I just got a holiday card from a college friend whose 6 year old has taken an interest in Morse code despite knowing nothing about the existence of amateur radio.

ham radio license holders in japan:

1994 ~1.3M

2025 340k (lots of old people)

and they dropped morse code from the exam requirements in 2011.

Re: NYC phone ban reveals some students can't read clocks

#99

Post by lucyjojo »

techjamie wrote: post #92
TechRemarker wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cursive writing first that comes to my mind.

I'm a millennial and would struggle to write anything past my own name in cursive anymore. I can confirm this.

I'm a millenial and I can only write in cursive. I technically can use block letters but it's so slow and awkward...

Re: NYC phone ban reveals some students can't read clocks

#100

Post by lucyjojo »

ekjhgkejhgk wrote: post #76
amitav1 wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you know how to use a fountain pen? Do you know how to tell your position by the stars? Do you know how to start a fire with sticks and stones? Life's too short to spend it hoarding trivia.

Right, just ask chatgpt gang amirite yolo

well... unironically yeah...
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