Sorry Gregg, but I have to take issue with you over this ;-). If the
kids were "not very good at fractions" how would they be able to set
up the spreadsheets? And if they could set them up, how would they
troubleshoot problems, or recognise a good result from a bad?
Yes, computers (and Excel, one of my favourite programmes) are
wonderful, but if you don't know what your inputs mean, there is
little chance that you will spot a duff output. One of the problems
of using calculators in maths is that kids don't have to exercise
their mental arithmetic brain cells... the same surely applies
proportionately to the use of computers.
A parallel argument is my use of Photoshop (Elements): I still don't
fully understand the use of levels and histograms, so my
effectiveness using trial and error is, I am sure, limited compared
to someone who does understand...
Chris
At 21:09 -0500 21/11/01, Gregg Iverson wrote:
snip
Programmers do the same kind of productivity boosting by creating
the software that make a business run. I can't imagine teaching
without computers as my students in math and science are involving
in writing and editing, graphics, spreadsheets, or using the
Internet. Just today I had students who are not very good at
fractions comparing stocks over the course of a week and predicting
what their price should be on Friday. They used Excel to chart and
graph each stock, then used formulas to figure the daily gain or
loss and analyse patterns (if any were apparent). They could never
have accomplished this without the software.
Gregg
--
<|_:-)_|>
C M I Barker
Cambridgeshire, England.
+44 (0)7092 251126
mailto:imagopus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
... a nascent photo library.
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|