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English 1010 5:30 pm


Jeff Kagie
October 20, 2015
A Response to Unplugged: the Myth of Computers in Classrooms
Are computers a beneficial element to the classroom? For me, the
answer was an obvious yes. From Mario teaching me to type to Dyno Tycoon
teaching me hard life lessons, the computer has always been one of my
favorite parts of school. I was not concerned if trips to computer lab were
beneficial or harmful to my education, I just liked having fun on the
computer. Professor of computer science at Yale University, David Gelernter
addresses this in his paper, Unplugged: the myth of computers in the
classroom, appearing in the New Republic in 1994.
David Gelernter, one of the most respected and influential computer
scientists in the country, addresses many fears associated with the use of
computers in the education process. He touches on many problems that
could arise with the introduction of the computer to the classroom. In this
article the author focuses on multimedia, hypermedia, and Allow Me
programs going through and listing the pros and cons for each. He concludes
by saying that a computer has the potential to do good is some areas, but its
potential to do harm is vastly greater across the board. While I disagree with
David Gelernter that computers will lead to a decline in basic skills, it does
not mean that basic skills should be forgotten in the wake of the computer.

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Despite the fears the author expresses, I agree that computers belong in the
classroom.
David Gelernter attempts to help educators and parents understand
this wave of new technologies that will be sweeping through their
classrooms. While he does list many positives, he is clearly biased towards
the negative aspects of the subjects. His sarcastic tone implies that he is not
overly fond with the sudden attention being heaped upon computers in
education. It is possible that his focus on what could go wrong is an attempt
to curb the enthusiasm of this new trend.
To begin, computers and smartphones should take a portion of the
blame in this generations lapse of spelling and grammar. However, I find it
hard to believe that they are the only reason this generation's basic skills
have declined. The author faults emerging software and programs for this
lapse, ignoring any other variables. Moreover, David Gelernter attributes the
decline of American schools largely to advancing technologies. He cites an
article from, The Wall Street Journal, about an unlisted school in Kentucky.
Who, because of the disregard for basic skills in an age of calculators, saw
computation scores fall by 10 percent. David Gelernter mentions only the
drop in basic skills, excluding any other data. Giving the reader only one
conclusion to draw, that the computer will hinder a childs basic skills.
Furthermore, basic skills should not be forgotten in this age; rather we
should endeavor to hardwire them into every young students mind. David
Gelernter says that while we worry about basic skills, we allow into the

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classroom software that will do a students arithmetic or correct his spelling.


Computers, calculators, and smartphones are all extremely handy devices to
use in the real world. I would be lying if I said that I did not frequently use my
smartphone to look up the spelling of a tricky word, or to double check my
math when the tip comes. The author even admits to having run his article
through spell check. However handy these devices are they do not shape the
education of a child, they are merely tools of convenience. So what does
shape a childs education? Parents and Teachers? Social environments? The
answer could be as simple as one or two of these, or even a combination of
dozens of small things. However, the basic skills of reading, writing and
arithmetic should always be the foundation on which that education is built.
All things considered, the computer belongs in the classroom; there is
no way around it. The use of the computer is too prolific to ignore, and the
sooner we can introduce kids to the computer, the better. In my own
experience, my inability to type faster than 15 words a minute greatly
hindered my performance throughout the better part of high school. The
author is correct to fear the negative side of a computer in a classroom.
There are many issues can arise with introducing computers to kids, but I
believe we need to approach the subject from another angle. We should view
the computer as one of the prerequisite skills that every student should have
to advance in their education. Beyond that the computer should be viewed
as no more than a teaching aid for whatever subject it is being used for.

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In summation, Schools and teachers should focus on basic skills. If


there is a drop in basic skills it is because we failed to educate, not because
of the computer. Computers should play a central role in a childs education.
While David Gelernter tries to nudge us away from using a computer as a
focal point in a childs education, there simply is no way to get it. Computers
are a widespread part of this world, and we need to embrace them as a basic
skill that everyone should learn.

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