I guess I'm more of a Chaucer fan that I realized!

As far as basic skills are concerned, if a student turned in a 
hand-drawn map and some hand-worked spatial analysis, I would be 
ecstatic! Much more so that if I got a poster print of some drivel out 
of ESRI ArcMap. The student who understands the concepts of cartography 
and spatial analysis will be able to adapt to whatever form the 
technology takes during their lifetime.

I think the level of technical expertise should be inherent in the 
class. But there should not be a "level of technical expertise 
appropriate for ALL UTC students."

Technology has gotten skewed in the past 30 years - mostly by people who 
were already teaching and had trouble adopting technology. To them, 
technology is a skill that has to be learned. To the coming generations 
of students, technology just is. If you want to do something, you apply 
technology X or Y. If you don't know how to use that technology, you 
jump on the web or ask a friend.

For instance, I never took a typing class. I have been using a keyboard 
for 24 of my 36 years. If a typing "teacher" were to watch my fingers 
move on the keyboard, he'd have a heart-attack. But, I type as fast as I 
can think. I don't transcribe letters, so I have never needed to type 
faster than about 35wpm. Further, when I write computer programs, I do 
not use the alpha-numeric keys in a ratio to punctuation keys that at 
all resembles normal text. This means that my fingers don't rest over 
the same "home row" as traditional typing implies. I use fingers on my 
left hand to reach across the "right hand" side of the keyboard and 
vice-versa.

My point is, to the students coming, technology isn't something that 
needs standarsd set and classes taught. Technology just is. They are all 
used to adopting technology faster than prior generations. They are used 
to the change.

At the same time, I think it's important to take those kids out of the 
technological environment so they can see the beauty and the spirit of 
the subject they are learning. Read and write poetry under a tree with 
pen to paper - and really feel the words. Work mathematical problems on 
a chalk board - and feel how the elements of algebra come together. 
Build a trebuchet out of scrap wood - and learn how statics and stresses 
yield impressive results. Dig pottery out of a 1000-year-old settlement 
and observe why the settlement was created.

But leave the laptop at home because it's going to be a paperweight in 
10 years, where as the experience at hand will last a lifetime!

-Eric
Chris Willis wrote:
> Nobody said do away with Chaucer (though as a strictly Am. Lit. fan I would
> be tempted to make that statement).  I think the UNIVERSITY should determine
> what levels of technical expertise are appropriate for ALL UTC students, and
> what levels are expected of specific majors.  HTML and web publishing may be
> a bit much for certain degrees, but others should certainly require such
> basic skills.  
> 
> BTW, what happened to the computer literacy Gen Ed requirements?  If we
> require laptops of all our students, won't we need to bring that back?
> 
> 
> Chris Willis
> Technology Specialist
> UTC Division of Continuing Education
> (423) 425-5286
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: UTC Staff E-Mail List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Eric B. Wolf
> Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2005 11:56 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [UTCSTAFF] Laptop Backlash
> 
> Jason Griffey wrote:
> 
>> 
> 
>  > The question isn't: "How will students use laptops in class X" but  >
> instead should be "How can we best prepare our students to be  > successful
> out in the world?"
>  >
>  > Again, my argument is that we are producing students on campus that,  >
> even if they can quote Chaucer and tell me the biochemical makeup of  >
> Sucrose, still hit the spacebar to line things up in Word.
>  >
>  > And that is a lack of literacy that is very worrisome for the future.
>  > I would be prepared to argue that basic web literacy (can I produce a  >
> basic webpage?), as well as basic document creation and other computer  >
> skills are a necessity for 99% of the students in their futures.
> 
> I'm sorry if I sound a little incendiary, but that's the most short-sighted
> comment I've heard yet about the laptop issue!
> 
> OK. So we start teaching about how to use tab-stops in Word instead of
> Chaucer and we teach how to make sure your tags all close in HTML. We have
> reduced our students to the level of a technical school graduate. 
> They are able to use technology in the current mode - but not able to create
> content.
> 
> The UNIVERSITY, especially one attempting to focus on the Liberal Arts, is
> supposed to help people learn how to do things like "create web content that
> compares the metaphors of characters the Canterbury Tales to President
> Bush's cabinet".
> 
> So, yes, we graduate students who can quote Chaucer! That's great. The
> reason they still use the space bar to line up things in Word is that tab
> stops is not an inuitive enough interface AND spaces work somewhat. 
> At least, well enough not to get in the way of their content.
> 
> Further, the interface in Microsoft Word is maybe 20 years old if you are
> generous. Before then, you only had typewriters and university graduates
> didn't take typing classes, they paid typists to format their content.
> 
> What will the interface for a document processing system be 20 years from
> now? I can tell you one thing: the President, who ever she is, 20 years from
> now, will have a cabinet that can insightfully be compared to Chaucer's
> characters!
> 
> -Eric Wolf
> Technologist, Cartographer, Yogi
> 
> P.S. When I came back to the University after working for 12 years as a
> professional software developer, I decided to complete my degree in
> mathematics. I did this specifically because I wasn't going to waste my time
> learning stuff that would be outdated in 20 years. And I'm thankful for the
> broad, liberal arts, education I received here at UTC.
>