What Are Kids Learning In School?

No one can deny that technology has changed the way children learn, and will continue to do so. I can see the trend toward schools (maybe virtual schools) where one teacher is responsible for hundreds of children, and that most of the learning is done online. With computers in classrooms, much of math and reading drills is done independently, with an online voice telling you whether you're right or wrong, and leading you to the right answer if need be. It's a great way to reinforce concepts that have already been taught, but the lack of interaction with the teacher concerns me. Online universities provide most of the curriculum online, with very few actual meetings between student and teacher. I was talking with someone last month who had just received a degree online. He admitted that the course work was watered down, and the degree was just a piece of paper to help him get a better job. In my opinion, nothing can replace the interaction between student and teacher, regardless of what level of education we're talking about. Getting a Ph.D on line, without feedback and questioning from a student's advisor cannot possibly produce the same results as a degree that involves hours of conversation, questions and answers. Technology definitely has a place in 21st century education, but don't forget the teacher. He or she will guide students to ask important questions and seek out answers. Computer learning is great for many subjects, but many areas of learning require student-teacher interaction. I remember back to my days of teaching, when computers were just coming into the classroom. A child with a computer would be occupied and quiet while the teacher worked with the kids that were having difficulty. The problem is, if you're the kid that usually gets the concepts, you will never have any teacher time, because that will be spent with more remedial students. I see young children, as young as two years old, sitting in front of a computer or I Pad, playing games, learning and loving it. Here's my question. These kids are learning so much so early, but what about their communication skills? They're either on the phone, I Pad, computer or texting to each other. When do they talk? When do they discuss anything with their friends? Even when a family goes out to dinner, you're likely to see the kids either playing video games or texting. Is this the family dinner of the 21st century? Language skills which are so important in life and business, are taking a back seat. As a young child, my son David asked more questions than just about any child I ever met. He was constantly wanting to know who, what, when, where and how about everything. He should have been a reporter! My mistake was in giving him answers rather than making him discover the answer himself. Had he been a child of the 21st century, I'm sure he'd be on the computer constantly discovering the answers to all his questions. Many parents ask their children when they get home from school each day, "What did you learn today?" I don't think I ever asked that question. I would either ask what they did in school or if they asked any good questions. Asking a good question to me was more important than what they learned. Are today's kids smarter? Good question, and I don't think researchers know the answer yet. Yes, today's kids accumulate far more knowledge at an early age, but do they have the other cognitive skills that develop more critical thinking? Is this generation going to produce great thinkers? That remains to be seen.