8/23/2006 What's New 2006 1

Maybe We Should Leave That Up to the Computer – NY Times July 18, 2006

Mark E. Nissen, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., who has been studying computer-vs.-human procurement, sees a fundamental shift under way, with humans becoming increasingly peripheral in making routine decisions, concentrating instead on designing ever-better models.

“The newest space, and the one that’s most exciting, is where machines are actually in charge, but they have enough awareness to seek out people to help them when they get stuck,” he said — for example, when making “particularly complex, novel, or risky” decisions.

The ideal future, then, may lie in letting computers and people each do what they do best. One way to facilitate this development is to train people to identify the typical cognitive foibles that lead to bad choices. “I’ve now worked with these models for so long,” Mr. Snijders said, “that my instincts have changed along the way.”

As Mr. Bishop of Northern Illinois University puts it, by making smart use of computer models’ advantages, “you’ll become like the crafty A student who doesn’t work that hard but gets mostly right answers, rather than the really hard-working student who gets lots of wrong answers and as a result gets C’s.”

8/23/2006 What's New 2006 2

Agenda

Cause you to reexamine your assumptions

Work interactively on what we think Learn what you think

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Position I: Student Laptops are Unnecessary

Too expensive and too complicated to maintain Distractions in the classroom and lead to

attention loss Kids use computers too much at home—school

should be a haven from computers Schools educate kids best with face-to-face

interactions, not face-to-screen Laptops don’t address a problem or need in most

schools Several schools have started 1:1 programs, only

to stop them Academic research has not proven clear benefits

from 1:1 laptops

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Position II: Student Laptops Are Inevitable

Used to cost over $2000. Now can be had for less than $1000.

Cost difference between laptops and desktops is incremental, but laptops can be used more frequently than desktops

In the coming years, laptops will become even less expensive, or laptop alternatives (small phone/tablet hybrids) will become commonplace and relatively inexpensive ($500)

Reliability and support improving Increasing numbers of private and public colleges and

universities are requiring laptops As more kids have laptops at home, how does a school

argue that “no laptops are allowed or needed”?

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Position III – Part 1: Student Laptops Are Essential

High percentages of independent school Middle School and Upper School students have problems with organization

Higher expectations for tracking their work, deadlines and commitments.

A fair percentage of these students can be helped by the “all-in-one-place” benefits of laptops, easy access to online course pages, combined calendars, and other resources

The communications benefits of individual laptops may equal or exceed the productivity benefits

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Position III – Part 2: Student Laptops Are Essential

Teachers have always had to adjust classroom management techniques for different generations of kids. Why would technology necessitate a “locking of techniques” that pretends that current and future generations don’t use computers?

If the kids, teachers and school are going to evolve and move forward on multiple fronts (organization, communications, productivity, classroom management, student-centered learning), then student laptops are essential

Laptops can help overcome equity of access for students of different economic backgrounds (when schools provide low or no cost laptops to financial aid students that are the same as everyone else’s laptops)

1:1 laptops can ensure equity of access for boys and girls, especially during the critical middle school years.

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Why Do I Believe This Is Essential

Tools of their time Don’t teach harness making when

tractors are cheap Meet the students where they are

How many teachers have a MySpace? It’s the rebirth of the 14th Century

Sort of

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What are the Liberal Arts?

Liberal from Latin liberalis – appropriate for free men

The Big 4 – the Quadrivium The Smaller 3 – the Trivium

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The Quadrivium

Arithmetic Geometry Music Astronomy

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The Trivium

Grammar Rhetoric Logic

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RhetoricInformation Technology

Logic Computer Science

3 Domains of the New TriviumGrammar

Information Literacy

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Information Literacy – 21st Century Grammar

Information Literacy Incorporates Media Literacy Listen to Dave Warlick

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Computer Science – 21st Century Logic

Algorithmic Thinking How tools are designed and

deployed Return of what was lost in the

1950’s & 1960’s

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Information Technology – 21st Century Rhetoric

Laptop one example of a generic tool

Use technology as a tool

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3 Domains of Tech Fluency

InformationTechnology

Computer Science

Information Literacy

PhilosophyLogic

Problem Solving(Tactical)

Innovation

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My goal

Independently confident of their ability to: Determine what they need to

accomplish Choose the right tool Learn how to use the tool Accomplish the goal