[cable modems] [electronic publishing] [research] [education]
| Some articles I've Written for ComputorEdge [cable modems] [electronic publishing] [research] [education] |
| A very old article on computers in education |
Use only a Number 2 pencil. Mark darkly. Bubble in the circle completely. While the all-too-familiar
Scantron test may be a current mainstay, the day may come when it is replaced by some
electronic form of testing. In addition to electronic testing, schools might also utilize electronic
learning and interaction. Schools are already headed down this arduous path of computerization.
Currently, the implementation of them is poor. Little has changed since that days when Apple IIgs' were used as enhanced typewriters and rote practice tools, and games were considered "computer literacy." Computer literacy classes now teach things like the use of the Paintbrush in Windows and vocabulary that could instead be acquired during normal use. They still fail to teach vital and non-system-dependent skills like information organization and location and self-teaching of computer software. A highly competitive system of money acquisition has also been detrimental. One department of the school might have '486's while another chugs by on 286's. There are teams set up to try to organize computer purchases and offer advice, but too often they are ignored, leaving schools with a hodepodge of mismanaged computers. Such disparities exist not only from class to class but school to school as well. It is not rare to find a high school under-equipped compared to middle and elemntary schools. And it is, of course, unecessary to mention that poor districts lack computer, unless they happen to recieve one of those coveted grants. Schools are as much victim to bureaucracy as the next guy. More time is spent talking, planning, and training than is spent on using and learning. Contracts with specific companies often prevent getting the best price. Many of those in administration have been around a long time, and many of them are old dogs who don't want to learn new tricks. There is, however, a bright future, if problems with the current system are dealt with. Instead of boring reports, multimedia presentations can be produced. There can be electronic fieldtrips to the Louvre or other museums around the world via the Internet, which can also be used for report research. Students can communicate with students around the globe. They can also use interactive softare that allows them to learn at their own pace. In the long-run, students may start carrying laptops to school, not having to wait to get home to type their homework. One day, computers will be more commonplace than VCR's and several magnitudes more useful. To get there will take vision and application. "A computer on every desk in every classroom" should be the slogan for the next decade. At my school, we are working on getting the Internet. However, we have run in to many of the aforementioned problems. Money is also a big problem, especially since many departments want to replace their own outdated computers. We currently have two dial-up SLIP connections at 14.4 free from the County Department of Education (http://intergate.sdoce.k12.ca.us). Although the free SLIP for schools and teachers is a wonderful service, they are dragging their feet when it comes to letting us put up our own web pages and so forth. We plan to leave them as soon as some other service has a good implementation of ISDN. In developing our own home page, we have looked at those of other schools and realized that we aren't putting together an ad for our school, like so many web sites appear to be. We want to provide a useful service. Along those lines, we plan to put up information about teacher, classes, and clubs, as well as information about how to write a good report and where to look for a good college. Right now the library at my school uses the computers to do research while at the same time getting the hang of the thing. One student made the observation that the Internet lacks the depth of many books. However, it can still be used as a communication tool. One quote direct from the UN or direct from a member of Libertarian Party can be better than something from a book by some unkown author. The internet also can make research exciting and has the potential for multimedia that can't be found in a book. The Internet is not, of course, the only technology out there. We also want to start adding some multimedia CD-ROM's and software, but that has taken a back seat. Self-paced learning, unofortunately, can only be a distant goal, because it necessitates great numbers of computers. Our school has benefitted from a handful of highly knowledgable computer users. Without them, the librarians would no doubt be trying to figure out the intricacies of Netscape to this day, can the computer science teacher would know little about the Internet. It is this fact that students know more than teachers that is often ignored. Often times, schools will get Internet, but then only let teachers use it (even though they don't know how) or not take student input on purchasing equipment. |
| An article on cable modems from the September 22, 1995 issue |
While watching TV, you may have realized that you are in fact recieving full-motion video. While the TV isn't digital (unless you have a digital satellite system), the fact remains that your TV has a large amount of bandwidth, or data transfer capacity. If only modems worked that fast - instead of taking a minute to transfer a single large graphic. Well the days of cable- speed modems are not far off, now that modems due out next year enable connectivity via the Hybrid Fiber/Coax cable network. Cable modems will be six times as fast as a costly T-1 connection, one thousand times as fast a 9600 baud modem, and cost two hundred times less per bit than a 9600 modem. The exact prices will likely be between $500 and $1000, and the exact bandwidth will like be 1.5 megabits per second in both directions, though some argue the signal from the home should be given less capacity. Such modems will enable video-conferencing and extensive multimedia content via the Internet for home user. These modems can be more likened to a Local Area or Wide Area Network client connection than a modem. For example, you don't dial-up, you are always connected. And Apple plans to have cable modems connect to Ethernet ports on Macs. "[PCs] connect like you would to a network, meaning you are always on," said Tom Waldrop, Intel media relations manager. "Some modem technology is included to take the analog signal and convert it to digital data that a computer can read." The cable modems will likely use Asynchronous Transfer Mode, which is all the rage in telecommunications. It uses 53-byte packets called cells and five-byte addresses. Cable modems are NOT set-top boxes. The goal with them is to connect the powerful personal computers with an incoming data stream that will give the processor a run for its money rather than making it wait for a slow standard modem. In fact, it will not be necesarry to compress data, as the bandwidth becomes greater than the computer's capacity. These modems will split the cable signal entering your house. One signal will go to your TV and the other to your PC. The signal headed for your PC will go through an RF module and then connect to a cable adapter card inside your computer. Clearly, the Internet and online providers are not yet ready for thousands of users each requesting such massive streams of data. Work is currently being carried out to develop software and hardware to accomodate cable modems. As was true with the Integrated Services Digital Network, the modems will be out before there is much to dial in to. Standards are still in development, and initial testing is still underway. Several companies are working on cable modems. Intel is a notable participant in this area, having formed alliances with General Instruments, Corp. and Hybrid Networks, Inc. Intel's web site (http://www.intel.com) contains a discussion of their CablePort (tm) adapter due out next year. All that is required is cable coming in to your home, Windows for Workgroups, DOS 5+ or Windows95, a 16-bit ISA half-length slot available, a �386 or better, 4 MB RAM, 20 MB of hard disk space, and a floppy drive. We'll see how realistic these specifications are when it actually comes out. The modem will provide built-in security features. The software, including that of online services, and hardware is supposed to configure automatically, utilizing the new plug-and-play standards. Intel is working with on-line providers and software companies to develop connectivity. Zenith is also a notable participant. Wageningen Agricultural University in the Netherlands in already testing out the Zenith cable modems. These modems run at 4 mbps, rather than 1.5. LanCITY, Inc. Has already released their modem to the public, according to a press release. The $595 LanCITY Personal (tm) CableTV Modem offers 2-way 10 mpbs rather than 1.5. It also has the expected built-in security and supports connecting to a site as far away as 200 miles, and then throughout the world via the Internet. Convergence Systems, Inc. Is working with Time Warner Cable to network schools using cable modems. They have already connected 90 schools in Hawaii. The system enable the use of the Internet as well as video-conferencing and distance learning between the schools. Time Warner Cable and Time, Inc. are planning an online service and net access via cable modems. A trial of this service was started in Elmira, NY this summer using Zenith HomeWorks modems to connect 500 homes, schools, and businesses. Access was provided to local information and Time editorial content. The cost (including modem) was $14.95 a month with an additional $9.95 getting Internet access. On-line services such as America Online cost extra. By comparison, Internet access from local companies at a fraction of the speed costs only a few bucks less. The trial will continue until at least January. Com21, Inc. was founded by the so-called grandfather of the Internet, Paul Baran. Baran was responsible for the packet switching technology, and tried to do some work on cable mdoems before its time. Motorola will release the CyberSURFER cable modem next year and is currently working with Regional Bell Operating Companies and cable companies. An executive from Motorola likened current modems to dirt roads serving Ferraris that are our computers. Other companies involved with cable modems include TeleCommunications, Inc., Comcast, Viacom, Hewlett-Packard, and Codex. TCI worked this summer to develop a standard specification for cable modems and hopes to put out a modem in January.TCI Technology Ventures, Inc. and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers have created a startup called @Home. Home provides Internet services and cable modems to local cable companies. The local companies will provide the network at a local level as well as seek local content. William Randolph Hearst III (formerly of the San Fransisco Examiner), a senior executive with KPCB, explains, "We believe the time is right to develop and deploy services that use the Internet technology with the broadband network capabilities of cable companies." Trials of @Home will begin early next year. The Microsoft Network will also be provided via @Home. One looming question is whether the Internet will be able to handle the increased demands of cable modems. Getting things done during peak periods is already sluggish. Vinton Cerf, the father of the Internet, has said that within five years the demand on the network will reach a critical point as the numbers of sites housing bandwidth-chewing video, sound, and graphics increases. With cable modems, the problem will be even greater. As users demand speed, they may be forced to pay in order to upgrade the backbones that link the Internet. Bill Gates, on the other hand, predicts that we will have "infinite bandwidth," but this is the same guy who thought 640K would be enough for anyone. Other problems exist as well. The reliability of return data over the cable is being questioned as well as the potential for one user to chew up th bandwidth allocated to a subset of the network. Will we be downloading megabytes in seconds next year? Wait and see. |
| An article on electronic publishing from the June 27, 1997 issue |
The funeral part of the movie Four Weddings and Funeral contains a poignant bit of poetry by W.H. Auden. Armed only with the name of the poet, I went home after seeing the movie and searched for the poem. After a small amount of bickering with my buddies Lycos and Infoseek, I ran across an amazing little site called Poet's Corner, home to a veritable plethora, a virtual cornucopia of poems (2,321 to be exact), including Auden's "Funeral Blues." Needless to say, I was elated to find the poem.
The potential benefits of electronic publishing, the departure from paper to its less-tactile digital descendants, are enormous, with availability being foremost among these. Content placed on the Internet is exponentially more accessible, but it also brings a host of new problems. It is the attempt to confront these problems that now concerns many of the best and brightest of our time as society moves into the Information Age greeted by Alvin Toffler and derided by the Unabomer. One of these great minds is Michael Kinsley, former editor of the National Review, who generated a great deal of press when he decided to work for Microsoft's new publication, Slate. He was immediately criticized by writers from electronic publications such as Saloon and Suck. Besides the fears of conflict-of-interest, there was also doubt that Kinsley would really doing much in the way of innovation. The existence of a paper version of the publication made cynics wonder why the electronic version would even be needed. Almost a year later, the plans to charge a twenty dollar subscription fee have not yet come to fruition (though the paper version is available for seventy dollars a year), and the content offers little that is significantly different from paper predecessors or electronic contemporaries such as Hotwired. There is a copious amount to read, but is it worth reading? In contrast to sites that at least purport to be bold and innovative, many admittedly just repurpose content (meaning they copy it verbatim from paper and slap it on the web). One successful example of this is the Electronic Newsstand. This site, founded four years ago, has convinced numerous publications to put a sampling of their magazines on-line. This has led to interesting results that can serve as a case study for anyone considering repurposing content for the Web. The newsstand offers more than 200 magazines sites hosted locally and links to 1,800 more (including some ezines - electronic-only publications). In sheer quantity, then, the site provides an advantage over the analogous physical construction. However, does it match the experience of browsing the racks? Unfortunately, no. For understandable financial reasons (and probably copyright abuse fears as well), the full content of the magazines are unavailable; usually only a sample article or two and the table of contents can be viewed. To get the full magazine, you have to go buy one, though a full subscription can be purchased online with a credit card. So while there is an enormous potential for content, concerns of the pocketbook have made this resource fall far short of its potential. It is interesting to compare the Newsstand's conservative availability of content to the complete text of their magazines that U.S. News and World Report and TIME both offer on their web sites. This model makes those who buy the magazine wonder why they waste their money. In between repurposed content and self-proclaimed "innovative" new applications of the Internet for publishing lies a netherworld of content that can replace physical versions and content that adds value to a physical version. The former case is seen in the new trend towards putting scholarly journals on the Internet instead of killing another million acres of forest with each new issue. Other advantages include having back issues at one's beck and call. Of course, readers are probably printing out the articles in order to read them because cathode ray tubes are so hard on the eyes, showing that work still needs to be done to make the experience of reading on screen match the experience of reading physically. This was one of the many issues discussed in a dialog on the web site Feed, an electronic publication which itself is experimenting with new ways to package content to fit that interactive model of the Web. It is this interactive capacity of the Web (as well as CD-ROM's) that provides the most straight-forward example of electronic publishing's benefits. Last summer, I participated in a contest named ThinkQuest, that called on students throughout the United States to work in teams to produce educational websites. This was an admirable goal, seeing as how the majority of content on the web is subpar or lost in the sea of the less-than-useful. The web site I ended up creating, with fellow students Hafiz and Rahim Aimaq, was an on-line version of Shakspeare's tragedy, Macbeth. The question that haunted us throughout the creation process was what could a web site offer that a paper version couldn't? The first and foremost feature would be annotation. Although many published versions are annotated, ours would be more complete. A while into production, we ran across a CD-ROM of Macbeth put out by the Voyager company. It had annotation and multimedia. So how could we make ours better? The web site would be free for one thing. We also talked Voyager into letting us use some of their video clips, helping make the site more exciting. After throwing in some other bits of content, such as plot summaries and sound recordings, the capstone was added, a discussion board. Looking at the discussion board almost a year later, a lot of people have gotten use out of the site, discussing things that interest them and getting help on their papers. It was in this fashion that value was added to a text already available elsewhere in paper and on the Internet. Electronic publishing brings with it a great deal of potential. So much information at one's fingertips is amazing, but it can also be overwhelming. There are many questions that still have no clear answer. How to make content fit the medium, or perhaps vice/versa? How to single out valuable content from the waste vastland (as on-line personality Justin Hall terms it)? How much innovation is truly needed? Scholarly explorations are already beginning, as Electronic Publishing sites that turn up with a quick search with Lycos demonstrate. Experimentation and analysis will continue, but the potency is clear. As lucid as the mourning expressed by Auden in the lines, "The stars are not wanted now; put out every one." This is the beauty of the human experience that shines through any manipulation of medium.
Web Sites Related to this Article
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| An article on online research from the August 1, 1997 issue |
On the show Whose Line is it Anyway?, one of the comedy improvisation games involves an object � a cone, a spring, a big yellow box � that the comedians are supposed to think of uses for. Some of the uses dazzle the audience with their creativity, others are pretty straightforward, and some might even be offensive. Computers in schools are somewhat like the objects on the show, the computers come first � the functionality later. This is not say that the way they are used is bad, but certainly their utility is evolving. One use coming into vogue is researching, which entails not simply searching vast quantities of data but also communicating with experts. Yet as wonderful as these new uses might be, they are by no means a utopia.
The now ubiquitous electronic indices at libraries represent the most basic level of computer- based research. However, they are no longer limited to in-library use. For example, the San Diego library system catalog can be accessed at telnet://sdlbopac.sannet.gov/, and the UC system's catalogs can be accessed via the web at http://www.melvyl.ucop.edu/. Thus, library visits can be planned from the comfort of home, instead of whiling away precious library hours in front of a computer and monopolizing one of the limited number of terminals available to patrons. The San Diego system even also allows users to request that a book be sent to their local branch. Upon visiting a library, computers play an even larger role. CD-ROM based databases and encyclopedias allow access to all sorts of information. A truly impressive CD-ROM that I ran across in a Minneapolis public library had the full text of a wide variety of magazine back issues, providing materials that might not otherwise be available or at the very least cumbersome to look through and photocopy. Similar repositories of text can be found on the Internet. Although http://www.elibrary.com is an excellent site as far as accessing magazine articles, it offers only thirty days free after which users are expected to pay. The Electronic Newsstand (http://www.enews.com) offers the text of magazines as well, supported by advertisers rather than subscribers, but the content is much more limited. A similar site for newspapers is Newscentral (http://www.all-links.com/newscentral/). Sometimes, it is better to visit a specific site for a newspaper or magazine and search from there. Time's Pathfinder (http://www.pathfinder.com) allows users to search the full text of back issues of Time's publications, as well as old news service reports and Pathfinder original content. Similarly, the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com) and the San Diego Union-Tribune (http://www.uniontrib.com) allow searches of back issues. Although these services are free for now, there is a danger that they could eventually cost money, the way Britain's renowned Economist magazine (http://www.economist.com) now charges a dollar for each article retrieved from the searchable archives. The strength of the world wide web is in its digitized, obscure, or original content. For instance, electronic texts (http://www.etext.org) can be searched to find specific passages for book reports or literary analyses. When I was writing a paper on Billy Budd, I not only utilized an electronic version of the text, but I also found an article from Melville Society Extracts (a publication I didn't even know existed) online at http://www.melville.org to draw upon for analysis. Similarly, in researching for a debate, I ran across the full text of a book related to the topic online. It is amazing the nuggets one can find with a little work. Search engines such as Yahoo (http://www.yahoo.com) are a great place to start. Yahoo is especially good since, if it doesn't find what you are looking for, links on the results screen can automatically send the search to other engines. Also, sites on Yahoo purposely opted to be indexed under certain words, increasing the likelihood of an on-target hit. Similarly organized indices of web content can be found at the Internet Public Library (http://www.ipl.org) and Findout (http://www.findout.com). More specific search tools can be found on C|net's http://www.search.com, such as engines to search the CIA world fact book or Supreme Court decisions. Another way to find information on the Internet quickly, especially some specific tidbit, is to utilize engines that will search more than one engine at once and return the results on a single page. Examples are Metacrawler (http://www.metacrawler.com), SaavySearch (http://guaraldi.cs.colostate.edu:2000/), Metafind (http://www.metafind.com) and Dogpile (http://www.dogpile.com). These tools save a lot of time and hassle. But in terms of original Internet content, a great deal of it is low quality. The problem with most search engines (a few do review sites) is that some guy's rant against immigration will turn up right next to a Harvard professor's detailed research into the issue. Even level playing fields shouldn't have the Chargers playing against Pop Warner teams. To find some of the better sites, one place to start is in the library of ThinkQuest entries at http://tqd.advanced.org. Motivated by large cash prizes, students have generated web sites chock full of well-presented information on a variety of topics. Another good resource to check is ezines � magazines published only electronically. For a listing, visit http://www.meer.net/~johnl/e-zine-list/index.html. There are also some sites that are specifically designed to aid students. One is http://www.researchpaper.com, which provides links, topic ideas, discussion boards and puts forth every effort to be a valuable resource. Its proclaimed goal is the daunting task of creating "a new class of online information products that would transform the human learning process." There are also sites dealing with specific topics, such as http://www.teleport.com/~mgroves/, which provides links to a wide variety of literature resources (including a guide on how to cite electronic sources in bibliographies). One excellent literature resource it does not mention is Barron's Booknotes, those incredibly useful literature cheat sheets, now available free online at http://www.kidzone.com/ecc/booknote.htm. Another wonderful little site is http://www.policy.com. Put together by a group of professional researchers and targeted specifically at student debaters, it offers summaries and links to the full text of numerous articles on various controversial issues as well as providing links to other sites. In addition to the static informational wealth of the web, there are innumerable live, interactive experts waiting to be exploited. When researching Billy Budd, I emailed the author of the paper I found and was able to have him elaborate on his thesis. Another time, I emailed the author of our history textbook (by looking him up in his university's email directory) to have him answer a question for my teacher. In addition to individuals, mailing lists and newsgroups are also great repositories of knowledge. A discussion probably exists on any topic you can think of. A list of listservs can be found at http://www.tile.net/tile/listserv/index.html. To find a newsgroup that might be useful, try the DejaNews (http://www.dejanews.com) search service. A word of warning must be given, however. Never ask people to do your work for you. I often receive queries in response to a site I produced about Macbeth asking how I would "prove Macbeth is a tragic hero in 1,000 words or less" or "compare Macbeth to Iago." Regardless of whether I know the answer, I first suggest that they think for themselves and utilize discussion boards or search engines before pestering me directly. Certainly, despite the benefits there are some (pardon the clich�) potholes on the information superhighway. Specifically, as an article in the New York Times of June 8 (available on their web site � use the search engine) explains, new web sites allow students to easily plagiarize essays easily by purchasing, trading, or simply choosing File and then Save from the menu in Netscape. In addition, the cut and paste features of electronic encyclopedias make it very tempting to just present the work as one's own. A student at my school actually turned in the Grolier's CD-ROM entry on Adolf Hitler, sans the copyright information, as his own report. Another student was caught copying his report from Microsoft's Encarta (which happened to be the only source on his bibliography). In contrast, the sheer quantity of papers on the Internet at sites such as http://www.elee.calpoly.edu/~ercarlso/papers.htm will make catching offenders a more daunting task, though not impossible. In part because of fears of plagiarism, some teachers do not allow the use of Internet sources. Further justification is based on the fact that the quality of web sites is not maintained through rigorous editorial standards as is the case with print. The need to separate credible sites from those lacking any credibility is an important skill to teach. As Nicholas Smith, associate producer of policy.com, explained, "The biggest drawback [of Internet research] could be the misleading information put on the web with little regulation to ensure its validity." Yet in the same breath he explains, "Electronic research can provide so much more research that may be unavailable at the average library�It brings nearly unlimited resources into the home." The dangers should certainly not overshadow the benefits of computer-based research. There is a growing realization that information technology, when provided to all, has the ability to lessen social disparities. This is part of the reason why Bill Gates, a few months ago, established a foundation to provide $200 million for equipping libraries with Internet access. In general, debate over computers in education seems to be a competition between the fanatic proponents and the adamant naysayers. However, the problems that neo-Luddites rail against � the dangers of students plagiarizing, the lack of quality resources, teachers not teaching, pupils not learning � are problems with causes more deeply rooted than in the evils of technology. Learning to analyze information and abide by ethical standards are part of the core aspects of research that should already be taught in schools. Computers may make the issues more complex, but they do not outmode them. Michael Holland, involved with the Electronic Library and other projects, explains, "I think that it is inevitable that it will be easy to FIND information in the future, but analysis, comparison and critical thinking will always be the real skills." Jonathan Howes of LE Centre, Inc. (web site still under construction) works to create on-line communities that facilitate learning by bringing together people and electronic texts. He sees a future where electronic research raises the level of learning through the ease and breadth of access. Howes explains, "Through this type of access, the world is becoming smaller; as information is more readily available, we can learn to understand each other better. . . . I can only imagine what it would have been like to have access to literature, criticism, research, national (and international) archives and the global online community when I was in school. Today, I take it for granted every time I sit down to work. Clearer visions of the future see that the Information Age demands new skills from a new generation and has the potential to completely revise the way our society is constructed. The use of search tools is now part of the basic curriculum for Internet classes, and it is quickly being incorporated into a new definition of computer literacy. This evolving application of computers in education possesses both utility and potency, two things that the weird little objects on Whose Line is it Anyway? lack. |
| An newer article about computers in education from the upcoming November 14, 1997 issue |
I may be the only one who has noticed the increase in techno-gimmickry and the corresponding decline in quality, but I doubt it. Spelling-checkers compensate for lack of careful writing, calculators relegate mental math to the dustbin of forgotten knowledge, the Internet subjects the world to hack jobs with improvements indefinitely postponed, and the evening news has reporters live on the scene of stories that may not be worth the time, except that the satellite was already rented. The injudicious use of technology has a deleterious effect. In the case of education, the result of not finding ways learning can be improved prior to using technology is akin to that of wasting time building a better mousetrap on a sinking ship. This gee-whiz, shopping-list mentality was one of the many things harped on by Alan November, a futurist who spoke to a group of teachers, students and administrators from the Poway Unified School District in September. November presented a mix of practical and not-so-practical ideas for applying technology and changing the entire educational system, as well as a vague vision of the future of the economy, to his audience. These were ideas he has spent years perfecting, delivering to groups large and small across the nation, and writing about in articles available on his web site. His vision serves as a springboard for looking at the ways technology can and should be used. "Instead of asking teachers, 'What technology do you need?' ask them 'Which concepts are the most difficult to teach and what information would help you teach these concepts?' And, 'Where would you find that information?'" he explains in one article. One of the biggest arguments he makes is that technology must not be used for simple automation of tasks but for actual provision of information. November points out that computers have the potential to provide information in real time, such as instantaneous feedback from computer testing, as well as to make learning relevant by posting on web sites or interacting with communities. "I believe it is important to give students a voice locally and globally. More and more schools should realize how important this is," November summarized via email. In his view, the entire educational system requires alteration. He claims that 41% of 18- 24 year old's fail to earn a sustainable wage because people must carve out their own niches in a new economy, one that marks that end of the job as we know it. Students must be taught to be "critical consumers of information," figuring out what they need to know and learning it, in order to prosper in these altered conditions. As he explains, "Now, workers are encouraged/expected to learn anywhere, anytime, with anybody, and in any way without seeking permission. Compare this learning culture with the basic assumptions about learning in schools where there are often hard and fast rules that say, you can learn this subject at this time block, in this classroom, in this teacher's way, with these other students, and with our permission." The current modicums of teaching are without a doubt stagnant, but historians have observed that revolutions tend to devour their children. Some balance between the directed chaos proposed by November and the as-fast-as-your-slowest-learner lecture method ought to be found. Hopefully, futurists will be able to find a viable solution. November, after all, is not working alone in this chosen genre. The Internet index Yahoo lists 283 organizations and companies dedicated to seeing technology implemented correctly in schools. But like the proverbial typewriter-equipped monkeys trying to produce Shakespeare, the time until they yield significant results is indeterminate. Companies sell lesson plans while universities conduct research, and meanwhile schools go about in a haphazard manner. Many of November's ideas make sense, and they are buttressed by those witnessing tragic applications of computers. Consider the movement by the Educational Testing Service and Sylvan Learning Systems to use computer adaptive tests, or CAT's. Any benefit from saved trees, better assessment and reduced calluses is more than negated by the inability to skip around, the lack of margins to take notes in, higher costs and an unfairness to the computer illiterate that renders future test-takers even more nervous. Another naysayer is Samuel G. Sava, Executive Director of the National Association of Elementary School Principals. He points to international test results where American students were outperformed: "On the math portion of the exam, fourth graders from seven countries outperformed ours. In five of those countries, teachers report that they 'never or almost never' have students use computers in class. In the U.S., 37 percent of students use computers in at least some math lessons � nearly triple the international average. Yet this increased use seemed to make no difference to our math results." Add to the fray an article in the July issue of The Atlantic Monthly which argues, "There is no good evidence that most uses of computers significantly improve teaching and learning, yet school districts are cutting programs � music, art, physical education that enrich � children's lives to make room for this dubious nostrum, and the Clinton Administration has embraced the goal of 'computers in every classroom' with credulous and costly enthusiasm." My own school, Mt. Carmel, has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars wiring the campus for networking while students sit on the floors of overcrowded classrooms. Furthermore, administrators are hard-pressed when asked to come up with applications for the new network. The library catalog can be accessed, but students still must go to the library to get the book or magazine. The Internet will eventually be accessible, but few teachers feel they have the spare time during the school day to try to add on-line components to their curriculum. Of course, the biggest barrier is that there are computers only in a select few rooms, and even fewer have more than one or two. Computers are not cheap, and while they are functional on a stand-alone basis, especially with an overhead projector or television adaptor, the implementation of the majority of good ideas requires a relatively low student-to-computer ratio. Achieving the maximum benefits is not cheap. Our principal, Scott Fisher, is very enthusiastic about technology, especially after having his interest piqued by November. He sees benefits such as linking with parents via video and web sites, using the "completely untapped research tool" of the Internet and increasing motivation through "hands-on tools of learning." He acknowledges that educators are certainly behind the curve, saying, "Our technology level needs to become more sophisticated. . . . We just don't use computers as effectively as possible." However, he also sees that "there's a real balance between people and technology." At the state level, there is the potential for an overly-enthusiastic bandwagon to upset this balance. An article in the San Diego Union-Tribune shows Governor Pete Wilson getting relatively high marks for the way he chooses to support technology, but it also reports that a commission last year suggested raising taxes to support $10 billion in new technology. Tucked away at the end of the article about New Technology High in Napa is a note that students interviewed about the school did not even mention technology as being one of the school's greatest benefits. While there is a place for enthusiastic and vague dreamers such as Mr. November, there must be the concomitant grain of salt which even he alludes to. It is the people that matter � engaging teachers can make subjects more interesting than computers can � and the content taught. From whole language to new math, education has witnessed all too many experiments in new learning styles that undermine basic skills, and computers threaten to follow this path. Student-driven and interactive projects should not supplant core learning, lest schools produce a crop of inept graduates well-versed in using computers as crutches. The capacity to use new technology, although valuable, cannot be the focus of schools without more important issues being lost and fundamental problems being ignored.
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