Monke Ain't No Monk (No Matter His Disguise)

It's one of the blessings of my life and occupation that interesting folks are always sending me interesting things: books, music, movies, magazine articles. This week, I received in the mail at school an article from Orion Magazine (September/October 2005) called "Charlotte's Webpage," by Lowell Monke. The subtitle: "Why children shouldn't have the world at their fingertips." A parent I met at one of my speaking engagements wanted to know what I thought of it.

Well, I have to say, I can't really comment objectively about it. Of course, before I offer any opinion at all, I always consider the source, so I Googled him. Lowell Monke is a notorious critic of technology education--after having spent 15 years in the field himself. Here's why I can't really comment objectively (but, oh yes, I will comment...later): Imagine you're a chef who really loves her job. You get up in the morning psyched to go to your restaurant and you feel fulfilled at the end of the day. Imagine someone hands you an article about how all of society's ills are caused by folks eating out too much. You're going to have quite a difficult time reading the article, but you'll do so because you know you can't (shouldn't) just block out things that don't reinforce your worldview. Then, you'll concoct a brilliant defense because, after all, debate is nothing more than making the other person wrong--not necessarily to show yourself to be right. You just end up being "right" by default (which is why typical debates bore me.)

Here's where my opinion of the article begins. At it's core, behind all of the stinging rhetoric and giant leaps of logical fallacy, I agree with Monke. He's not the iconoclast he appears to be. After we get past all of his false comparisons (placing a sentence about a decrease in the number of minutes children get for recess these days right before a sentence about the national increase in technology spending--proximity in language does not equal correlation) and all of his self-righteous, didactic rants that only serve to demonstrate how his thinking is radically different from 21st century learners, we get to what he really thinks. He thinks the real problem lies in the fact that schools often try to substitute computers for inspired teachers. "Poorly trained, unenthusiastic teachers, using poor methods based on faulty philosophical foundations to teach irrelevant material makes for boring education. The computer has sounded the alarm for all to hear, but that does not meant that in it lies the solution to the problem."

Monke is right. Without question, the largest challenge I face as a technology educator is helping teachers to understand how to design curriculum that requires students to synthesize information--not just to report it. The world is a different place than the one in which Monke grew up in (rural Iowa), where it was considered a skill to be able to locate information in the library. We are all awash in information. Thinking critically about that information is the skill we need to teach children. Admittedly, most teachers have not yet begun to design their curriculum differently to suit "digital natives."

Monke's real thesis comes in after six needless pages: "It is crucial that we increase our efforts to help people recognize and accept the immense responsibility they have to use those machines for the good of humanity." He is absolutely right and this societal responsibility applies to more than just computers...it applies to all media. Not to get all esoteric, but isn't this the primary struggle of humanity? To overcome our baser instincts and rise to the challenge of creating and sustaining a peaceful and honorable community? Monke references a Descartes quote about his desire to "seize nature by the throat." It's really man against himself, not man against machine.

Near the end of the article, Monke concedes that "it's not necessary or sensible to teach children to reject computers. What is necessary is to confront the challenges the technology poses with wisdom and great care."

Now, if Monke had just started out with that thesis and dropped the inflammatory rhetoric, I would have answered with a resounding, "ABSOLUTELY." Most technology educators would. But then, that wouldn't be quite as sexy or alluring in the age of sensationalistic media, hmmmmmm? Wouldn't sell as many articles, hmmmm? He's just an idealist in disguise as a naysayer. Guilty as charged, I judge.

(Thank you to D.T., the parent who sent me the article...it was great fun to read and consider.) Image credit: www.jupiterimages.com

Blinking

Hi, my name is Alecia and I'm a book-aholic. There's a compulsion I feel that drives me to purchase, purchase, purchase books. It would be worse if I didn't actually read all those books, but put me in a book store and I must purchase a book. They're all just sooooooo freaking interesting. A few years ago, I saw Malcolm Gladwell speak at the National Educational Computing Conference (ISTE) in New Orleans. He was there talking about his book "The Tipping Point," which I promptly purchased and read after hearing him speak. Now, it's a part of my lexicon, a part of my thought process.

This evening, I went to my friendly neighborhood "pusher" (aka Barnes and Noble) to score his most recent book, "Blink." Actually, I went to purchase something much less admirable (a Scottish romance I decline to identify here) and ended up perched on the arm of one of the bookstore's well-used couches with Gladwell's tome about how folks think TOO MUCH. And if anyone could use a lesson in over-thinking, it's me. So if you too suffer from book-aholism, or over-thinking, give it a read! Lemme know what you think.

Getting It All Right

Mea culpa. I got it all wrong in my last blog post "The Death of Crayons." I ruminated on it some more yesterday and I suppose I had an epiphany. What's the whole point of this blog? Helping children to merge their educational use of technology with their personal use of technology. So, that's exactly what The PowerPoint Kid was doing. He was merging his interest in dinosaurs with his interest in PowerPoint and producing new media on the matter. It's my dream outcome, really, and what do I do when faced with my dream? Miss the point!

The good news is that I didn't miss it altogether. I got it loud and clear today. My work is moving forward and that child is proof positive. I hear he's out boogie-boarding today. Just goes to show you, Rousseau was right. "Do not judge, and you will never be mistaken."

Image credit: www.noappp.org

The Death of Crayons?

It has been almost a month since school has been over. Today, I got an email from a parent at my school whose son, when asked what he'd like to do that day (beach or pool?) responded: "I'd like to finish up my PowerPoint today." Did I mention that this child is seven years old? I had mixed feelings about the email.

1) Horror--that a child would prefer to work on the computer than go to the pool or beach on a lovely summer day. Why, why, why?
2) Pride--that the child had learned so much in our two lessons on PowerPoint during second grade that he could make his own Power points.
3) Concern--had he really written all of the things in the PowerPoint or was he ALREADY learning to copy and paste? Would he be so far ahead of his peers that I will need to arrange for advanced lessons for him? Probably. Ugh.

Maybe I should be proud that my students are so into technology that they want to use it during the summer to produce Power points on subjects that interest them...never mind that no one besides their parents will ever see these great works. But then, you could say the same thing about artwork children make in their bedrooms with their 64-pack of crayons (oooohhh, how I wanted one of those). Maybe PowerPoint is just the new coloring?

Image credit: www.d84.org/DP/Pics/crayons.JPG