Do kids need computers to learn? Some schools are saying no

Henry Aubin:

Are Quebec schools embracing computers too zealously? I don't know the answer - I'm no pedagogue - but it's a question worth asking.

Two things are clear.

One is that most parents, school officials and politicians see children's familiarity with computers at an early age as desirable - nay, imperative - for successful individual careers and for society's prosperity in a "knowledge economy." The English Montreal School Board, for one, even provides laptop computers as a teaching tool in pre-kindergarten (where the 4-year-olds use them for recognition of numbers and letters and to do puzzles). In response to strong public support for this trend, Premier Jean Charest promised a few months ago to put a smart whiteboard (a front-of-the-class board that allows for digital touch interaction) in every primary- and secondary-school classroom across the province.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at October 30, 2011 2:13 AM
Subscribe to this site via RSS/Atom: Newsletter signup | Send us your ideas