Dr. Dobb's | Stoll Deflates Technoeducation Myths

Stoll Deflates Technoeducation Myths

In his Wednesday night keynote, Clifford Stoll offered the audience an energetic but questioning look at the realm of computing. His speech, appropriately entitled, "A Skeptical View of Computing" was designed to explore the question: Is the Internet essential to learning?

March 01, 2000
URL:http://www.drdobbs.com/stoll-deflates-technoeducation-myths/184404395

Stoll Deflates Technoeducation Myths

Stoll, author of the book "Silicon Snake Oil, Second Thoughts on the Information Highway," and self-professed lover of computers, introduced himself as the man who, in the 1980s, caught some hackers breaking into a computer system at Berkeley. The hackers, it turned out, were spying for the KGB, and Stoll joked that, "thanks to me, the iron curtain came down."

"The overpromotion of computers bothers me," Stoll said. Stoll went on to say that he wanted to challenge the "idea that says, 'If you're not online, then there's something wrong with you.'" He used his dentist as an illustration, pointing out that he didn't care if his dentist could write good HTML. What he wanted in a dentist was someone who was skilled at drilling teeth, and more importantly, someone who could offer a human connection. "We're short-changing a number of life skills by rushing to turn everyone into computer jocks," he said.

Stoll focused much of his talk around computers in the classroom, and said that the big lie of technoeducation was that "software will make learning fun." Stoll stated that he is concerned that we are teaching our children to get the right answer, rather than do the science or be creative.

After pausing to tell the audience, "Feel free to leave at any time, because what I have to say is either obvious or wrong," Stoll went on to say that the computerized school is a fraud, and that turning learning into a game turns teaching into entertainment. Stoll challenged the audience to do something, whether it be with computers or with their hands. "Show me the new algorithm. Show me something that pops my eyes out!" he said.

In conclusion, Stoll imparted the universal rule for chess: "Make the best possible move," which, he said, could be extended to life itself. He left the audience with one final thought: "It is the voice of life which calls us to come and learn."