4.11.2010

"Get Computers Out of Our Schools!"

There's a massive and bizarre idea going around that we have to bring more computers into schools. My idea is: No! No! Get them out of the schools and keep them out of the schools.
Clifford Stoll
I would love to meet this guy. In the 1980s he caught a KGB computer hacker, he once made his old Macintosh computer into an aquarium, and he hops around on stage with an inspiring amount of excitement and passion. The kids in his middle school physics class must have a blast with him.

Plus... come on... the hair rocks.


Some Stollisms:

From his 2006 Ted Talk, above (Ted)
"There's a massive and bizarre idea going around that we have to bring more computers into schools. My idea is: No! No! Get them out of the schools and keep them out of the schools."
"I've got gray hair so it's kind of silly for me to talk about the future. If you want to know what society's going to be like in 20 years, ask a[n experienced] kindergarten teacher."
From his 1999 book High Tech Heretic (Amazon)
"A good teacher can handle her subject without any multimedia support."

"I believe that a good school needs no computers. And a bad school won't be much improved by even the fastest Internet links."
From his 1995 article "The Internet? Bah!" (Newsweek)
"Can you recall even one educational filmstrip of decades past? [Probably not, but] I'll bet you remember the two or three great teachers who made a difference in your life."

"A network chat line is a limp substitute for meeting friends over coffee. No interactive multimedia display comes close to the excitement of a live concert. And who'd prefer cybersex to the real thing?"

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