An Alternative View on Why, When and How Computers Should Be Used in Education

The website entitled “An Alternative View on Why, When and How Computers Should Be Used in Education” was not a website, but a paper posted online. It was written by Valdemar W. Setzer of the department of computer science and the institute of mathematics and statistics at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and by Lowell Monke of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. The paper was broken down into four main headings, and a variety of sub headings. It outlined the development of the child and teenage mind, and how that development can be affected by computer use. It also detailed the appropriate age to begin using a computer based on development of the mind and ways of thinking both concretely and abstractly.
The paper began with a short introduction followed by the heading “Why Should Computer be Involved in Education?” Under this heading the authors vaguely went over the fact that computers a useful technology when used correctly. Computers have become readily available and should therefore be used to their full advantage when the user is of appropriate age and mental standing. However, the problem arises that not many people understand the inner workings of a computer and why it functions as it does, and this hinders the ability to be able to use the computer to its full advantage. Humans are innately curious creatures, but as technology has advanced and become more complex and difficult to understand we as humans have become apathetic.
The second heading “When is the Appropriate Age to Begin Using a Computer” constitutes the vast majority of the paper. It begins with the subheading “The Characteristics of the Computer” and that section is self explanatory. It goes over programs, hard/soft ware and other characteristics, and very briefly skims the surface of the fact that different brain functions are used when dealing with each different characteristic of the computer. The second subheading is “The Development of Children and Teenagers.” This section outlines the first three stages of life in periods of seven years according to Steiner. The first stage, ages 1-7 is where the child individualizes the will and everything is taught concretely through physical contact. In the second stage, ages 7-14, the child begins to read and everything is to be taught with an aesthetic value, even subjects such as math and science. The third stage, ages 14-21, is where the child begins to think abstractly and phenomena are explained through concepts. Knowing these stages are important for understanding why the authors pick the third stage as ideal for beginning computer use. According to the authors, computers are mathematical machines which require one to have ways of mature and abstract thinking when dealing with said machine. These ways of thinking can only be established during the third stage of life, which is why ages 15-17 are said to be the ideal age to begin computer use. The third subheading details the four ways in which computers are used in education, 1. Computer programming as a developmental or authoring tool, 2. Programmed instruction, 3. Simulating experiments, 4. Productivity tools. Productivity tools being the most important in regards to the use of general software, such as word processors, electronic spreadsheets, graphic, database, and communication systems” and internet researching. The fourth subheading outlines the dangers of computer use. The authors firmly believe that computer use should not begin until high school and that the use of computers at an earlier age can be detrimental to brain development, and can have long lasting ill effects. They say that young computer users are more likely to develop a condition called “obsessive user state” which is a result of needing to have complete dominance over the machine. Also since the computer is made to aid in adult like performances a child using a computer will advance to adult like thinking at too early of an age will which in turn stunt their childlike wonder and imagination as well as their “inner capacity and sense of self reliance.”
The third main heading provides a brief outlined curriculum of how young people should be introduced to computers. The curriculum begins in the tenth grade and finishes in the person’s senior year of high school. The authors discuss activities, tasks, and subject matter that should be taught in each grade which will turn the students into competent computer users at an ample time in life.

I chose to report on the use of computers in education because of my growing hatred for technology. I’ve always believed that although computers can be useful tools for word processing, information research, etc, they also devalue face to face human interaction as well as reformat the brain to process read information in a quick yet slightly inefficient manor. I thought that this website may share in my views, and it did in a way but did so to an extremist extent.

My first impression of the site was that it was very bland. The site is simply black Times New Roman text in paragraph form on a solid white background. At the top of the page the title of the article is centered and bolded followed by the contact information of the two authors centered and set in two text blocks. As I scrolled down I realized that this “web site” is in fact not a website but simply a published paper that has been posted online. There are no links, pictures, sounds, or anything else aesthetically pleasing. It is simply information relayed through the internet in a bland and boring fashion. At first glance I was bored because there is nothing entertaining at all about the web page unless you actually read the information.

Because the page was formatted in such a plain and boring manor I found myself getting bored with the information although the information itself was quite interesting. I longed for some graphics, a font change, clip art, anything at all other than black Times New Roman text, but sadly that’s all I got. The main headings of the text were bold and centered which made it easy for me to scroll up and down and find information from a certain section, but it didn’t make the page any more amusing.

The information on this page seemed well written and sincere; however it was mostly just the opinions of the authors. Setzer, one of two authors constantly referenced himself and his other published works. When I clicked the link to his site the first thing I saw was the banner at the top of the page which read “Let children be childish, don’t allow them access to TV’s, video games, computers and internet.” I immediately thought this man must be some sort of anti-technology fanatic, and it made me dismiss most of what I had previously read in his paper. The other author’s link did not work.

In regards to the course this site reminded me of the articles we have read which discussed the affect of the internet i.e.: “Is Google Making us Stupid?” etc. These articles focused on the affect the internet has on us, instead of the affect of the computer as a whole which was what was discussed on this web page. I also noted how much I hated the boring layout of the page and how it affected my reading. I began to think of all the work that has been put into the creation of font and lettering, and I wished the person who made the web page would have put in slightly more work.

From the title of this page “An Alternative View on Why, When and How Computers Should Be Used in Education” I assumed it would be just that… an alternative view. However, it was an extremist view that offered no alternative and instead stated that computers should not be used in education until high school. The article provided no insight as to the possible good affects of computer use because that would completely defeat the Setzer’s thesis. The paper was one sided and biased making computers out to be corrupt tools that are dangerous and detrimental to the brains of anyone under the age of 15.

I do not recommend anyone visiting this site other than for their own amusement (and it really isn’t that amusing.) The information did not appear to be valid, the layout was incredibly plain and boring, and the site as a whole didn’t have much to offer. Although the information was interesting and the concepts were innovative, the site is probably nothing more than the ravings of an over protective parent (Setzer) that wishes to shelter children from the “dangers” of computer use.