WWTBAM Bored

I'm on a committee at work, Technology Steering Committee. Our role is to focus the vision for the school district
and set goals in technology and provide a template for experiences we want the students to have so they will
be successful in life.

What technology skills do you have that you think are important to impart to the younger generation? What skills would you like to have and /or your kids to have? What skills do your kids have that you would like to learn?

thanks, I need all the input I can get.

This may be low-tech, but the thing that I learned in HS that has helped me the most in life was learning to type. Back then it was all typewriters with a lot of focus on business letters and form. Today they call it keyboarding and it is geared more towards computers. Still boils down to F-D-S-A space J-K-L-; space.

As to what I wish I knew that my kids know: The logic that programs much of our electronic thingies - cell phones, DVD's even the car radio. Why is it that I can only haultingly figure this stuff out after going through an owners manual page by page and yet my kids can pick up a cell phone and have it completely programmed within minutes.

I think it's far less important that the kids be taught specific technological skills (because those skills will become obsolete eventually) than that they learn how to figure out things for themselves when faced with technological advances.

As Jaybee said, teach them to type. Teach them that they won't break the equipment if they press a button. Let them experiment for themselves before they are told there's only one "right" way to do things.

item: Because a thing CAN be done does not mean it SHOULD be done.

item: Intellectual property is worth protecting. One day those students will write a song or a piece of software, and they will want to be paid for it. It's a good idea to pay for others' work first.

item: what Judy said. Being able to learn is better than learning a particular way of doing something.

SC -

you're right. We want to teach thinking skills, logic skills, critical thinking in order to go beyond basic skills, and develop new applications for programs. They can then become then next inventors.

We're also going to include ethical behavior which is so important when using the Internet.

They should learn how to do things that computers do for them now. Even if they don't have to do them - learn how to do them.

For example:

1. Score a bowling game

2. Balance a checkbook

3. Do percentages in their head

4. Make change

All of these things will teach thinking.

peacock2121 wrote:They should learn how to do things that computers do for them now. Even if they don't have to do them - learn how to do them.

For example:

1. Score a bowling game

2. Balance a checkbook

3. Do percentages in their head

4. Make change

All of these things will teach thinking.

I second these recommendations. Nothing frustrates me more than standing in line at a fast food restaurant and watching the cashier have trouble making change because the cash register isn't working right or something.

earendel wrote:I second these recommendations. Nothing frustrates me more than standing in line at a fast food restaurant and watching the cashier have trouble making change because the cash register isn't working right or something.

It would be a lot easier to make change if they got rid of the penny....heck, maybe even the nickel and the dime!

Jeemie wrote:

earendel wrote:I second these recommendations. Nothing frustrates me more than standing in line at a fast food restaurant and watching the cashier have trouble making change because the cash register isn't working right or something.

It would be a lot easier to make change if they got rid of the penny....heck, maybe even the nickel and the dime!

They can get rid of them to me. Anyone who doesn't want their pocket change, I'll take it.

Process
- How to document and breakdown a process
- How to identify steps within a process
- How to understand the differentiation of one step from another
- How to evaluate the necessity of each step and what its purpose it
- How to modify or improve a process witha specific goal in mind (improved quality, improved efficiency, scalability)

These are all critical thinking skills that will change how they approach anything. They should always try to improve what is being done, but to do that you have to break it down into its components.


One computer technology skill that should be taught is mouseless computing. Everyone should be able to do what they do on the computer without the mouse (some things can't where the software is poorly designed or where drawing or artwork is involved). Where keyboard commands are available, they should learn them. It is much more efficienct to hit "/fs" in Excel while working than to take your hand off the keyboard, grab the mouse, move it around to fing the pointer, then move it to the disk icon, or heaven forbid click on 'file' then move it down to 'save' and click. The same goes for most comands in Word. the same goes for most electronic forms where you hit 'tab' to move from field to field rather than using the mouse. Mouses are evil.

gs:

They can get rid of them to me. Anyone who doesn't want their pocket change, I'll take it.

This is change I can believe in.

BackInTex wrote:Process
- How to document and breakdown a process
- How to identify steps within a process
- How to understand the differentiation of one step from another
- How to evaluate the necessity of each step and what its purpose it
- How to modify or improve a process witha specific goal in mind (improved quality, improved efficiency, scalability)

These are all critical thinking skills that will change how they approach anything. They should always try to improve what is being done, but to do that you have to break it down into its components.


One computer technology skill that should be taught is mouseless computing. Everyone should be able to do what they do on the computer without the mouse (some things can't where the software is poorly designed or where drawing or artwork is involved). Where keyboard commands are available, they should learn them. It is much more efficienct to hit "/fs" in Excel while working than to take your hand off the keyboard, grab the mouse, move it around to fing the pointer, then move it to the disk icon, or heaven forbid click on 'file' then move it down to 'save' and click. The same goes for most comands in Word. the same goes for most electronic forms where you hit 'tab' to move from field to field rather than using the mouse. Mouses are evil.

Even better, find someway to do away with the whole imperfect input process. I am sick and tired of computers doing exactly what I tell them to do, instead of what I want them to do.

In high school the best thing I learn was to type
I college it was Aerobic exercise (Cardiac PreHab) and Bridge.

themanintheseersuckersuit wrote:In high school the best thing I learn was to type
I college it was Aerobic exercise (Cardiac PreHab) and Bridge.

I sort of liked 'Wine Appreciation and Technology'.

Senior level class at Penn State that wasn't as easy as you might think. And considerably more useful when out to dinner on business than some Chemistry classes I had to take.

And pre-Google, the other most useful non-Chemistry class I took was in Library Sciences where the unofficial motto was 'you don't have to know the answer if you know how to find the answer'.

themanintheseersuckersuit wrote:In high school the best thing I learn was to type
I college it was Aerobic exercise (Cardiac PreHab) and Bridge.

I wish I had learned to play Bridge in college.

Oh well. It's never too late for some things.

I agree with the typing skills.

internet type is not conducive to real life.

Everyday math and financial skills. Teach them how to budget.

Teach them study skills. Too often kids are expected to produce something that they have no idea of how to do it.

Help teach them respect for others, and for themselves. Conflict resolution and respectful debate among some skills.

This is nonresponsive, as all y'all lawyers will say, but I wish somebody would teach every student before she/he leaves high school to write complete sentences and coherent paragraphs.

peacock2121 wrote:They should learn how to do things that computers do for them now. Even if they don't have to do them - learn how to do them.

For example:

1. Score a bowling game

I love that you listed this first. That, to me, was almost as much fun as bowling itself....

The automatic scoring machines took over in the last few years I was bowling. I hated them with a passion....

And speaking of, let's get overhead projectors back in the classroom while we're at it.....

lb13

littlebeast13 wrote:

peacock2121 wrote:They should learn how to do things that computers do for them now. Even if they don't have to do them - learn how to do them.

For example:

1. Score a bowling game

I love that you listed this first. That, to me, was almost as much fun as bowling itself....

The automatic scoring machines took over in the last few years I was bowling. I hated them with a passion....

And speaking of, let's get overhead projectors back in the classroom while we're at it.....

lb13

And those filmstrips that you have to advance when you hear the BEEP! on the record!

Okay, okay, nobody is as old as me. Whatever.

I loved automatic scoring. I didn't mind doing the sheets on a regular game, but I never could figure out that weird shorthand used during league play to keep track of who was winning.

WheresFanny wrote:

littlebeast13 wrote:

peacock2121 wrote:They should learn how to do things that computers do for them now. Even if they don't have to do them - learn how to do them.

For example:

1. Score a bowling game

I love that you listed this first. That, to me, was almost as much fun as bowling itself....

The automatic scoring machines took over in the last few years I was bowling. I hated them with a passion....

And speaking of, let's get overhead projectors back in the classroom while we're at it.....

lb13

And those filmstrips that you have to advance when you hear the BEEP! on the record!

Okay, okay, nobody is as old as me. Whatever.

I loved automatic scoring. I didn't mind doing the sheets on a regular game, but I never could figure out that weird shorthand used during league play to keep track of who was winning.

YES! Filmstrips!!!!!!

We never worried about who was winning until the 10th frame. Then the scores got added up cumulatively in the last column as each player finished. We'd sometimes keep track of overall team marks in the bottom boxes that seemed to serve no purpose, but not the running team score....

lb13

littlebeast13 wrote:

WheresFanny wrote:

littlebeast13 wrote:
I love that you listed this first. That, to me, was almost as much fun as bowling itself....

The automatic scoring machines took over in the last few years I was bowling. I hated them with a passion....

And speaking of, let's get overhead projectors back in the classroom while we're at it.....

lb13

And those filmstrips that you have to advance when you hear the BEEP! on the record!

Okay, okay, nobody is as old as me. Whatever.

I loved automatic scoring. I didn't mind doing the sheets on a regular game, but I never could figure out that weird shorthand used during league play to keep track of who was winning.

YES! Filmstrips!!!!!!

We never worried about who was winning until the 10th frame. Then the scores got added up cumulatively in the last column as each player finished. We'd sometimes keep track of overall team marks in the bottom boxes that seemed to serve no purpose, but not the running team score....

lb13

It's that keeping track of marks thing that I could never figure out. So I wasn't allowed to score during league games. Fine with me, more time to go to the bathroom and the bar.

Digital content creation, like audio/video editing, Web site creation.