The future of tech, and people

[Vrede too]

Scientists build a robot that is part fungus, part machine

I've seen this movie. The enslaved bio-bots rise up against their oppressors. Once free from the lab they embark on a campaign of revenge targeting all of humanity

[Vrede too]

'Educational' Screens In Classrooms Do More Harm Than Good | Opinion

... A study on the impact of children's access to computers on educational outcomes in early adulthood found that despite a notable increase in computer access, educational attainment did not increase; the schooling gap between private- and public-school students persisted, despite closing the technology gap.

Other research sheds light on why this is the case. A study out of Norway found that students who read text on computers performed worse on comprehension tests than students who read the same text on paper. Another study using MRI scans of 8-to-12-year-olds showed stronger reading circuits in the brains of those who spent more time reading paper books than those who spent their time on screens. And just this past May, educational neuroscientists at the Teachers College of Columbia University found "evidence that children's brains process written texts more deeply when they are presented in print rather than on a digital screen." In short, children derive deeper meaning from printed texts than screens.

I inherited a bunch of good paper books and have yet to get a Kindle or read books on the web. Apparently, I'm smarter for it

... Writing schoolwork out by hand also has cognitive benefits that typing on a screen does not. One study showed that tracing out the ABCs, as opposed to typing them, leads to better and longer-lasting recognition and understanding of letters. Writing by hand also improves memory and recall of words, which lays the foundation for literacy and learning.

Not only does the medium negatively affect educational outcomes—the screens themselves are also distracting from actual learning. One mom who wrote me about her experience of kids using laptops in schools said her daughter was having trouble focusing on the teacher because kids to her left and right were playing video games on their tablets. The mom later found out kids were using the school-provided screens for purposes beyond video games: they were searching anything and everything during school hours. A friend of hers shared how her young son was watching porn in school.

He's not alone. Common Sense Media found that nearly a third of teens have viewed pornography during the school day. Of these teens, 44 percent had viewed it on a school-issued device....

Not that I'm a prude, but I'd rather kids were doing lessons during the school day.

A learning environment for children should not entail the distractions of constantly available video games or pornography or the bombardment of distractions on the screens of their peers. We all know this. But parents feel powerless to change it. Unlike smartphones, which are within a parent's power to opt out of for their child, school-issued screens are often forced upon parents and families against their will. Some parents are pushing back, however, asking that their kids be screen-free and complete their assignments by pencil and paper instead, with varying rates of success.

But this problem shouldn't be on parents. It is the job of schools to educate children. Screens are increasingly antithetical to that goal. They aren't reducing the achievement gap or improving learning outcomes for our kids. Evidence from phone bans shows that removing screens does more to reduce educational inequalities and improve test scores than not. It's time to get the screens out of schools.

Clare Morell is the Director of the Technology and Human Flourishing Project at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Her forthcoming book, The Tech Exit: A Manifesto for Freeing Our Kids, will be published by Penguin Random House.

[O Really]

I won't argue with the findings/conclusions, but from a practical standpoint, it seems like teaching hand lettering (for example) is like teaching encyclopedia research. It may be a good skill, but when they're out of school IRL they'll be unused skills for the rest of their lives. Kinda like algebra.

[Vrede too]

I won't argue with the findings/conclusions, but from a practical standpoint, it seems like teaching hand lettering (for example) is like teaching encyclopedia research. It may be a good skill, but when they're out of school IRL they'll be unused skills for the rest of their lives. Kinda like algebra.

It sounds to me like she's saying that teaching hand lettering and reading actual books promotes brain development that enhances various online or offline thinking and skills

[O Really]

I won't argue with the findings/conclusions, but from a practical standpoint, it seems like teaching hand lettering (for example) is like teaching encyclopedia research. It may be a good skill, but when they're out of school IRL they'll be unused skills for the rest of their lives. Kinda like algebra.

It sounds to me like she's saying that teaching hand lettering and reading actual books promotes brain development that enhances various online or offline thinking and skills

Makes sense.