Date : Sun, 02 Apr 2006 12:40:11 +0100
From : Fragula <fragula@...>
Subject: Re: Basic & BBC Basic
A.J. Davis wrote:
>> the IT curriculum consists primarily of Microsoft Word, Access and Excel
>> and very little else of technical merit. They've even phased out Logo
>> (and the chance to use my Valiant Turtle) in favour of photo
>> manipulation (although to be fair we do teach with Dreamweaver). Now I
>> realise that you can't really teach 6502 any more, but I think kids
>> should be shown more than Microsoft apps.
Indeed. Its nothing short of a crime. Children are being subjected to
the Dumbing Down experience of Windows apps, "taught" the load of
psychological obfuscation that Microsoft Corp. pass off as though it
were actually a computer.
I ask, Nay, I DEMAND that schools be more honest, and stop calling it an
"IT lesson", and use more correct terminology, like "Microsoft
Indoctrination Propaganda and Future Consumer Lock In Session".
No really, our kids are a captive audience to this bullshit!
Does that sound too extreme? Well, whats taught to most kids has little
to do with technology, more to do with the proprietary obfuscation layer
that *hides* the technology. That isn't teaching, its the dirtiest form
of advertising. (Along with school Assembly, but that's too off topic.)
I wonder how much Microsoft had to brown-bag successive
people-in-positions to get away with this. Anyone know?
No. I really and genuinely think the Model B, and BASIC is what should
be in our primary schools, followed by BBC B with the lid off and simple
logic probes out, and assembler, then later Linux (sixth form onward),
is what we should be teaching for I.T.
A "de branded" but open-standards (Open Office?) Word Processing,
Spreadsheet, Database etc. could be *used* in other parts of the
curriculum more appropriate. This should be written in law.
If Microsoft then wanted a part of the home education market, they could
bloody well make their products compatible!
My suspicion is that "I.T.", and the old Computer Literacy Project" is
something that was potentially liberating to the masses. Multinationals
and governments on the other hand would wish to use technology as a
means of control and subjeaction of the same masses, and would not wish
those masses to actually know how the stuff works, but merely to buy it,
read their SPAM and porn, and be greatful to The Corporations that rule
here (and in most of the "Free World" for allowing them to be able to
take out the finance to pay for a new machine every 18 months.
So for the last 10-15 years or so, it seems to me that the whole
computer literacy thing is being desperately back-pedalled on, and
replaced with a sort of consumerist "education" that is more suitable
for sheep destined for the corporate slaughterhouse.
there.. and i never mentioned Research Machines once, or asked how they
hell they managed to say in business.
Straw Poll? Flame War? Anyone?
Cheers!
M.