Response to Guardian article on education

An article in the Guardian today caught my interest describing a proposal for primary schools that focus more on learning about Twitter and Wikipedia than on learning history. The proposals state that children should leave school with a knowledge of blogging and pod casts and how to use Twitter and Wikipedia to find information and communicate. It also says that children must 'gain "fluency" in handwriting and keyboard skills, and learn how to use a spellchecker alongside how to spell.' I find the idea that education is focusing more on these new technologies than traditional subjects a bit shortsighted especially as these students are under the age of 11. They should have an understanding of the changes in technology but not at the expense of traditional subjects like history.






Information from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/mar/25/primary-schools-twitter-curriculum

Response to Trent Batson's article on Google

After reading Trent Batson's response to 'Is Google Making us Stupid' I found his argument that the web is just a contemporary way of exchanging ideas interesting. In some cases I believe that his argument is correct for example it is valid when exchanging opinions. However, I have a problem when it comes to relying on it for facts. If you look at Wikipedia you do not know who the contributors are and if they have any credibility. When a book is published an author has to provide evidence that the facts contained in the book have some basis in credibility, not so on the web where no facts are required or checked.

planet google

Google is an amazing success story. Just over a decade old, started by a couple of 25 year old Stanford graduate students in their dorm room, today over 68% of all internet
searches are done through Google.

Google is a brilliantly run company, highly democratic, hugely profitable.

Employees commonly interact with its founders.

If only our banks and auto companies were run half as well, we would not be in the fix we are now.


It is a mantra of Google that ‘ more information is better information.’




And here is my big problem with Google.

The right of all of us the sacred right to privacy.





Yahoo recently handed over personal data of thousands to the Chinese government,

leading to hundreds of arrests.

How soon will Google, despite all their protests, do the same?

Is google making us stupid?

I agree that Google is making us stupid because it is the most efficient search engine and I for one have become very reliant on it as a research tool. Anytime that I need to know something I look it up on Google. It is the lazy way out. I also find that it is harder to absorb information when I am reading it on the net. I do find myself skimming the articles and grabbing what I need rather than reading the whole piece.




Google, in short, is the Cliff notes for the 21st century.