Neil,
It has been a concern of mine for many years that we are not teaching
the thinking process as we should. It is not that the calculators and
computers are not useful and necessary to our culture, (I really love to
use these tools), but being able to logically solve problems through the
thinking process is vital also.
I take pride in being able to make calculations in my head. When I was
in school during cyphering competition, when given a problem, I could
get the answer faster in my mind than I could write it on the
blackboard. With age, I have lost some of the speed of mental
calculations, but I still do it most every day.
I believe that the student should first learn and exercise the thinking
processes and then learn to use the available tools.
Tom, Redding CA - #216 D/FCC
Albaugh, Neil wrote:
> Joe;
>
> I agree with getting calculators & computers de-emphasized in schools.
> They have a place but not in all classrooms all the time.
>
> I'm afraid that kids are becoming skilled at pushing buttons but they
> don't fully understand the principles of what they are doing.
> Remembering a series of keystrokes is not comprehension. Many, if not
> most, students who use computers & calculators to solve problems simply
> don't know if their answer is reasonable or not.
>
> Getting a very precise answer to 6 decimal places is great, but not if
> it is not only wrong but the result is totally absurd.
>
> Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
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