From Terry L. Brock
For too long critics have opposed the use of Net-accessible devices in classrooms contending that it would allow for cheating among the students. If a question on a test is “What is the capital of Madagascar?” anyone Google-worthy today knows the answer is only a few keystrokes away (Antananarivo, by the way).
But like Ayn Rand taught us, we have to “Check our premises.” Why even ask such an absurd, 17th Century question? Do we really need to spend an inordinate amount of time asking those kinds of questions on tests —- particularly in an Internet-connected world for today and tomorrow?
Instead a better question, that requires thinking more than memorization, would be, “Contrast the economic policies of Madagascar and Ethiopia, with full historical considerations, and the ramifications for future deployment of VoIP, Cloud Computing and the SmartGrid.” (Not a bad question for 2nd graders, right?) 🙂 (Just kidding!)
We have to deal with what exists. To oppose mobile devices and their accompanying close cousin, Cloud Computing, we’d have to stick our heads in the sand. We need to bring in mobile devices as part of the solution, since that’s the way students are using them and will use them in the real world. Stress critical thinking development, not just memorization!
The challenge is that it is much easier for teachers, professors and instructors to check test answers on a question like “What is the capital of Madagascar?” because the answer is simple and defined. There is a place for that, and yes, I would be the first to say all good citizens of the world need a basic knowledge of some rudimentary data.
My point is, beyond that, wouldn’t it be better to spend the limited TME (Time, Money, Effort) on developing critical thinking skills rather than on rote memorization exclusively?
Yes, the deep thinking would have to be scaled to the level of the students. Second graders would not receive the same types of questions as high school students, obviously. But, critical thinking can be blended into education from the time people are thinking, even as toddlers.
Once students know the basics of a particular subject matter, why not ask better, more open-ended questions that stimulate creative thinking and can’t be found with a quick Google check. Yes, students can, and I would submit should, check the Net for facts (multiple, non-corroborating sources preferred). However, these should be the building blocks for deep thinking.
Perhaps I’m wrong, but it seems this would be worthy of consideration in a Net-accessible age. The mobile phones, tablets and other wonderful gizmos that are yet to be developed, will be with us a long time. To try and ban them by brute force runs against the grain. Work with existing technology, but always keep developing critical, analytical thinking.
Who knows, perhaps with that kind of critical thinking, we’d have better educated citizen voters and thus better leaders in government —- ah, but I’m a dreamer! To quote the late, great John Lennon, “You may say I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one.”
What do you think? This is a very important debate and I look forward to your comments on this critical issue.
Related articles
- What is critical thinking? (learnpolicydebate.wordpress.com)
