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The EdTech Revolution Has Failed

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346 points obscurette | 1 comments | 12 Nov 24 14:11 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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Lonestar1440 ◴[12 Nov 24 17:06 UTC] No.42117308[source]▶
I took about 60 credits - ~8 hours per week each school semester - of Computer Science courses back in the mid 00's at a top state school. Besides the 101 Course, heavy on Java syntax; and Software Architecture where one learns the dark art of Swing, we used pencil, paper, and white boards (even a few chalk boards!) for the rest.

I use concepts like Dijkstra's algorithm and the Turing machine regularly in my job. They are very real to me - more real than any programming language - because I sat for hours taking paper notes off a whiteboard while some OG Computer guru discussed the topic.

If I didn't need tech to learn Computer Science, kids definitely don't need it to learn Algebra.

replies(2): >>42117394 #>>42117708 #
1. dghlsakjg ◴[12 Nov 24 17:14 UTC] No.42117394[source]▶
What if it is possible to spend a lot less time learning that with newer classroom methods (ed tech doesn't have to mean whiteboards and apps, teaching methods are technology too).

We can make a good house without metal fasteners using hand tools and nothing but muscles. But that doesn't mean that a house built using brushless power tools in 1/4 the time isn't also a good house.

More directly: I conceptually understand a lot of algorithms that I read about. For me though, the ones that I learned by coding them and running them are the ones I understand much better. Hand written notes on a lecture do not guarantee complete or correct understanding, and there is no mechanism for checking.