Laptops Breeding Laptop Dancers

24 July 2009

It has taken a visiting American academic Jacob Vigdor who has just completed the world's largest study into the use of computers and school education to point out what we have long suspected. Laptops for every student sends their learning backwards, not forwards.

My school friends and I used computers through most of our schooling, studying such vague subjects as how to use Apple's "Amazing Animation." Computers are the future we are continually told so as long as you are doing stuff on them that is what is important. When I speak to my friends we all agree and are extremely grateful for the touch typing classes our school's offered. They have held us in good stead in our professional lives, yet much of what was learnt about computers was rubbish. With universities such as Monash and ADFA (the Australian Defence Force Academy) now having to teach basic grammar and spelling, serious questions regarding the effectiveness of computers need to be asked.

The dumbing down of mathematics and science is equally disappointing – Only 64% of Australian schools now teach mathematics to the highest possible level. Computers are fine, they are important in the modern economy but let's face it how much computer knowledge does the average professional require? A vast majority of us, check emails, word process, use a spreadsheet and harness a couple of job specific programs. That is it. It is hardly so taxing that you need to learn about computers from an early age. Once again it is old people making decisions about issues young people only really understand.

What is taxing and what will effect your employment however is if you fail to communicate and argue effectively, write reports with constant grammatical and spelling errors, or fail to carry out basic arithmetic. It may land you a job in a strip club where you are a chance to meet the Prime Minister but if you want to become the Prime Minister you need the fundamentals.