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High Tech Heretic: Why Computers Don't Belong in the Classroom and Other Reflections by a Computer Contrarian Hardcover – October 19, 1999
by
Clifford Stoll
(Author)
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A thorough detonation of the hype surrounding computers in our lives, by the bestselling author of The Cuckoo's Egg and Silicon Snake Oil.
In a book that should spark debate across the country, Clifford Stoll, one of the pioneers of the Internet and a renowned gadfly of the computer industry, takes an insightful, provocative--and entertaining--look at how computers have encroached on our lives. High Tech Heretic punctures the exaggerated benefits of everything from foisting computers on preschoolers to "free" software to computer "help desks" that help no one at all. Why, Stoll asks, is there a relentless drumbeat for "computer literacy" by educators and the high-tech industry when the computer's most common uses are for word processing and games? Is diverting scarce education resources from teachers and equipment in favor of computers in the classroom the best use of school money? Are supermarket checkout clerks computer literate because they operate a laser scanner? Has no one noticed that the closest equivalent to today's hot new multimedia and Internet Web sites are--(drumroll)--Classics Illustrated, the comic books based on literature?
In these fascinating contrarian commentaries, Stoll focuses his droll wit and penetrating gaze on everything from why computers have to be so darned "ugly" to the cultural aftershocks of our high-tech society, to how to turn an outdated 386 computer into something useful, like a fish tank or a cat litter box.
As one who loves computers as much as he disdains the inflated promises made on their behalf, Cliff Stoll is nothing less than a P. J. O'Rourke of the computer age--barbed, opinionated, and essential.
In a book that should spark debate across the country, Clifford Stoll, one of the pioneers of the Internet and a renowned gadfly of the computer industry, takes an insightful, provocative--and entertaining--look at how computers have encroached on our lives. High Tech Heretic punctures the exaggerated benefits of everything from foisting computers on preschoolers to "free" software to computer "help desks" that help no one at all. Why, Stoll asks, is there a relentless drumbeat for "computer literacy" by educators and the high-tech industry when the computer's most common uses are for word processing and games? Is diverting scarce education resources from teachers and equipment in favor of computers in the classroom the best use of school money? Are supermarket checkout clerks computer literate because they operate a laser scanner? Has no one noticed that the closest equivalent to today's hot new multimedia and Internet Web sites are--(drumroll)--Classics Illustrated, the comic books based on literature?
In these fascinating contrarian commentaries, Stoll focuses his droll wit and penetrating gaze on everything from why computers have to be so darned "ugly" to the cultural aftershocks of our high-tech society, to how to turn an outdated 386 computer into something useful, like a fish tank or a cat litter box.
As one who loves computers as much as he disdains the inflated promises made on their behalf, Cliff Stoll is nothing less than a P. J. O'Rourke of the computer age--barbed, opinionated, and essential.
- Print length240 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherDoubleday
- Publication dateOctober 19, 1999
- Dimensions5.75 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
- ISBN-100385489757
- ISBN-13978-0385489751
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The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer EspionageCliff StollPaperback
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Clifford Stoll loves computers. He loves them so much he even converted his old outdated Macintosh into an aquarium rather than put it out with the trash. What this veteran programmer and self-made social critic doesn't love, however, is "the cult of computing"--the "blind faith that technology will deliver a cornucopia of futuristic goodies without extracting payment in kind."
In particular, Stoll hates the way computer cultists have infiltrated America's schools, and in High Tech Heretic--a straight-talking, fast-moving broadside of a book--he aims every argument in his arsenal at the widespread belief that computers are the greatest educational invention since chalk. While he's at it, he also takes some potshots at the hype about virtual community, the Internet economy, and the death of the book, as well as the scourges of buggy software, ugly hardware, and PowerPoint.
Stoll's contrarianism is so wide-ranging he sometimes flails as he rushes to keep up with himself. But for the most part he hits his targets dead on. Stoll's chatty style and cracker-barrel wit (both of which occasionally grate) seem tailored to convince you he's just talking home-spun common sense, yet he's obviously done his research. Whether he's quoting Thomas Edison's predictions for that great educational tool, "the motion picture" ("in a few years it will supplant largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks") or breaking down the grim budgetary implications of the high-tech school system (more computers means fewer teachers, music rooms, and books), Stoll's choice factual details--and spirited indignation--blow holes in the pretensions of the digital age. --Julian Dibbell
From Publishers Weekly
Stoll's first book, The Cuckoo's Egg, an exhilarating account of how he brought down a ring of computer hackers, was a 1989 bestseller. By 1995's Silicon Snake Oil, he'd become a digital apostate. He reiterates many of the points made in his second book here, focusing on the increasingly widespread use of computers in nurseries, preschools, classrooms and libraries. Throwing down the gauntlet in his introduction, he states, "I believe that a good school needs no computers. And a bad school won't be much improved by even the fastest Internet links. That a good teacher can handle her subject without any multimedia support.... That students, justifiably, recognize computer assignments primarily as entertainment, rather than education." In the first half of the book, he explains and justifies these beliefs: computers are expensive, quickly become obsolete and require maintenance by an expensive technical staff, usually paid for by eliminating other services (e.g., money for Internet connectivity sometimes comes from library budgets). He contends that computers and calculators work against familiarity with numbers, learning basic arithmetic and an understanding of algebra. Distance learning is a high-tech successor to correspondence schools, and neither has the impact or fascination of live courses, he believes. Stoll takes society's responsibility to educate children seriously, but his excessively anecdotal approach weakens his arguments, which would have been bolstered by a short bibliography. Still, there is much useful ammunition here for parents who share Stoll's views. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Computer gadfly Stoll is a prophet crying out in the high-tech wilderness. In this jeremiad against the cult of computing, particularly in the classroom, he argues that inspiring teachers, library books and journals, and human contact are far more important for students than the latest technology. Countering the clich?s of Don Tapscott's Growing Up Digital (LJ 11/1/97) and Seymour Papert's The Connected Family (LJ 11/1/97), Stoll proclaims that because of overemphasis on acquiring computer literacy students are missing out on fundamental skills and experiences that make them well rounded. He agrees with Jane Healy, author of Failure To Connect (LJ 8/98), that computers are not good for young children and are used for entertainment more than education. Exceptionally readable, Stoll's book offers numerous anecdotes and research studies to support his argument. Continuing in the provocative vein of his Silicon Snake Oil, this is recommended for all libraries.ALaverna Saunders, Salem State Coll. Lib., MA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
The great midcentury social critic Paul Goodman said that technology, rightly considered, is a branch of moral philosophy. Precisely that perception animates Stoll's feisty, conversational, commonsensical, and highly amusing commentaries on the technological juggernaut conjured by the cant phrase information highway. Stoll may not think he is a moralist, but he unequivocally says that computers don't belong in classrooms because they stifle human nature, thwart human development, and waste human resources--most notably, money that ought to be spent on teachers, librarians, and books. His strongest indictment of computers, not just in the classroom but throughout society, is that they, like television, constitute an isolating, disintegrative force that weakens human communities, from families to national electorates. As one who has been programming since the mid-'60s, Stoll grants that the computer is a useful tool but feels that making much more of it is folly. As for the World Wide Web and the Internet, Stoll argues that they purvey far more trivia than useful information. Skeptical but not cynical, Stoll speaks right reason to computer enthusiasts. Ray Olson
From Kirkus Reviews
A brilliant skeptic assails high-tech boosterism, attacking the trendy assumption that computers will profoundly improve our schools, libraries, and whole society. Stoll (Silicon Snake Oil, 1995) has spent the last two decades participating in, and commenting on, the Information Age. Unlike most high-tech insiders, Stoll isn't sure that society's problems will disappear if people spend more time in front of their computers, surfing the Web, or chatting online. Stoll bemoans a major educational trend of the last decade: the rapid computerization of the classroom. He's a passionate believer in a quite old-fashioned medium of data transmission: the book. He asserts that advocates of the computerized classroom have confused data with wisdom, wisdom being the ability to filter data and place it into a larger perspective. This is exactly what the internet cannot do, says Stoll. In the computerized classroom, ``solving a problem means clicking on the right icon,'' allowing zero time to reflect. Thus, students focus on the shallowness of data, supplemented by multimedia graphics, while failing to consider the real-world contexts in which problems arise. Computers and calculators also create unhealthy dependencies that lead to student laziness and emotional detachment. In addition, computer learning erodes social skills. Wonderful as they may be, virtual communities can't replace human interaction: The internet ``gives us the illusion of making friends with faraway strangers while taking our attention away from our friends, family, and neighbors.'' As schools and libraries blithely race down the information superhighway, our most public institutions become dehumanized, so that research librarians and teachers are increasingly ``technology facilitators.'' Despite the conventional wisdom, Stoll isn't so sure there's a pot of gold at the end of the high-tech rainbow. A much-needed antidote to all the current buzz about our glorious ``wired'' future. If you can manage to get away from your computer screen long enough, read this valuable book. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
Contrarian Clifford Stoll speaks out:
On computer literacy:
"I don't think our society suffers from a fear of technology. If anything, our problems are rooted in a love affair with gizmos."
"Sure, kids love computers. I met an eighth grader who told me he'd spent his summer vacation logged onto the Internet for seven hours a day. Every day of the summer. A thirteen-year-old girl looked at me with a fresh face and asked, 'How can I meet boys if I'm not on-line?'"
On computers in the classroom:
"Whenever I point out the dubious value of computers in schools, I hear, 'Look, computers are everywhere, so we have to bring them into the classroom.' Well, automobiles are everywhere, too. They play a damned important part in our society, and it's hard to get a job if you can't drive. In fact, cars count for more of our economy than do computers. But we don't teach automotive literacy."
"So how long does it take to learn word processing? A day? Maybe three? Of course, using a computer requires learning to type. Oops, I mean acquiring keyboarding proficiency. Still, this is hardly rocket science."
On computers, the Internet and the information age:
"For years, we've been bludgeoned with the cliché 'information is power.' But information isn't power. After all, who's got the most information in your neighborhood? Librarians. And they're famous for having no power at all. And who has the most power in your community? Politicians. And they're notorious for being ill-informed."
On computers and aesthetics:
"Why are computers so ugly? How come I can buy a red shirt, an orange umbrella, a yellow bowling ball, a green radio, and a blue car, but computers are all beige boxes? It's as if Henry Ford ran the computer business: you can have any color you wish, as long as it's off-white putty."
On computer literacy:
"I don't think our society suffers from a fear of technology. If anything, our problems are rooted in a love affair with gizmos."
"Sure, kids love computers. I met an eighth grader who told me he'd spent his summer vacation logged onto the Internet for seven hours a day. Every day of the summer. A thirteen-year-old girl looked at me with a fresh face and asked, 'How can I meet boys if I'm not on-line?'"
On computers in the classroom:
"Whenever I point out the dubious value of computers in schools, I hear, 'Look, computers are everywhere, so we have to bring them into the classroom.' Well, automobiles are everywhere, too. They play a damned important part in our society, and it's hard to get a job if you can't drive. In fact, cars count for more of our economy than do computers. But we don't teach automotive literacy."
"So how long does it take to learn word processing? A day? Maybe three? Of course, using a computer requires learning to type. Oops, I mean acquiring keyboarding proficiency. Still, this is hardly rocket science."
On computers, the Internet and the information age:
"For years, we've been bludgeoned with the cliché 'information is power.' But information isn't power. After all, who's got the most information in your neighborhood? Librarians. And they're famous for having no power at all. And who has the most power in your community? Politicians. And they're notorious for being ill-informed."
On computers and aesthetics:
"Why are computers so ugly? How come I can buy a red shirt, an orange umbrella, a yellow bowling ball, a green radio, and a blue car, but computers are all beige boxes? It's as if Henry Ford ran the computer business: you can have any color you wish, as long as it's off-white putty."
From the Inside Flap
etonation of the hype surrounding computers in our lives, by the bestselling author of The Cuckoo's Egg and Silicon Snake Oil.
In a book that should spark debate across the country, Clifford Stoll, one of the pioneers of the Internet and a renowned gadfly of the computer industry, takes an insightful, provocative--and entertaining--look at how computers have encroached on our lives. High Tech Heretic punctures the exaggerated benefits of everything from foisting computers on preschoolers to "free" software to computer "help desks" that help no one at all. Why, Stoll asks, is there a relentless drumbeat for "computer literacy" by educators and the high-tech industry when the computer's most common uses are for word processing and games? Is diverting scarce education resources from teachers and equipment in favor of computers in the classroom the best use of school money? Are supermarket checkout clerks computer literate b
In a book that should spark debate across the country, Clifford Stoll, one of the pioneers of the Internet and a renowned gadfly of the computer industry, takes an insightful, provocative--and entertaining--look at how computers have encroached on our lives. High Tech Heretic punctures the exaggerated benefits of everything from foisting computers on preschoolers to "free" software to computer "help desks" that help no one at all. Why, Stoll asks, is there a relentless drumbeat for "computer literacy" by educators and the high-tech industry when the computer's most common uses are for word processing and games? Is diverting scarce education resources from teachers and equipment in favor of computers in the classroom the best use of school money? Are supermarket checkout clerks computer literate b
From the Back Cover
Contrarian Clifford Stoll speaks out:
On computer literacy:
"I don't think our society suffers from a fear of technology. If anything, our problems are rooted in a love affair with gizmos."
"Sure, kids love computers. I met an eighth grader who told me he'd spent his summer vacation logged onto the Internet for seven hours a day. Every day of the summer. A thirteen-year-old girl looked at me with a fresh face and asked, 'How can I meet boys if I'm not on-line?'"
On computers in the classroom:
"Whenever I point out the dubious value of computers in schools, I hear, 'Look, computers are everywhere, so we have to bring them into the classroom.' Well, automobiles are everywhere, too. They play a damned important part in our society, and it's hard to get a job if you can't drive. In fact, cars count for more of our economy than do computers. But we don't teach automotive literacy."
"So how long does it take to learn word processing? A day? Maybe three? Of course, using a computer requires learning to type. Oops, I mean acquiring keyboarding proficiency. Still, this is hardly rocket science."
On computers, the Internet and the information age:
"For years, we've been bludgeoned with the cliché 'information is power.' But information isn't power. After all, who's got the most information in your neighborhood? Librarians. And they're famous for having no power at all. And who has the most power in your community? Politicians. And they're notorious for being ill-informed."
On computers and aesthetics:
"Why are computers so ugly? How come I can buy a red shirt, an orange umbrella, a yellow bowling ball, a green radio, and a blue car, but computers are all beige boxes? It's as if Henry Ford ran the computer business: you can have any color you wish, as long as it's off-white putty."
On computer literacy:
"I don't think our society suffers from a fear of technology. If anything, our problems are rooted in a love affair with gizmos."
"Sure, kids love computers. I met an eighth grader who told me he'd spent his summer vacation logged onto the Internet for seven hours a day. Every day of the summer. A thirteen-year-old girl looked at me with a fresh face and asked, 'How can I meet boys if I'm not on-line?'"
On computers in the classroom:
"Whenever I point out the dubious value of computers in schools, I hear, 'Look, computers are everywhere, so we have to bring them into the classroom.' Well, automobiles are everywhere, too. They play a damned important part in our society, and it's hard to get a job if you can't drive. In fact, cars count for more of our economy than do computers. But we don't teach automotive literacy."
"So how long does it take to learn word processing? A day? Maybe three? Of course, using a computer requires learning to type. Oops, I mean acquiring keyboarding proficiency. Still, this is hardly rocket science."
On computers, the Internet and the information age:
"For years, we've been bludgeoned with the cliché 'information is power.' But information isn't power. After all, who's got the most information in your neighborhood? Librarians. And they're famous for having no power at all. And who has the most power in your community? Politicians. And they're notorious for being ill-informed."
On computers and aesthetics:
"Why are computers so ugly? How come I can buy a red shirt, an orange umbrella, a yellow bowling ball, a green radio, and a blue car, but computers are all beige boxes? It's as if Henry Ford ran the computer business: you can have any color you wish, as long as it's off-white putty."
About the Author
Clifford Stoll, an MSNBC commentator, lecturer, and a Berkeley astronomer, is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Cuckoo's Egg and Silicon Snake Oil: Second Thoughts on the Information Highway. He lives with his family in the San Francisco Bay area.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
A Literate Luddite?
Am I the only one scratching my head over the relentless invocation of the cliche "computer literacy"? Is a supermarket checkout clerk computer literate because he operates a laser scanner, a digital scale, and a networked point-of-sale computer? Is my sister computer literate because she uses a word processor? Are the mirthless robots at the corner arcade computer literate because they reflexively react to Nintendo droids?
Our nation now spends about three billion dollars a year to wire our classrooms, with an aim of making our country's students computer literate. But how much computing does a high school student need to know?
I'd say a high school graduate, intent on going to college, should be able to use a word processor, manipulate a spreadsheet, know what a database does, be able to use e-mail, and know how to browse the World Wide Web.
But not every high school graduate needs to be able to program spreadsheets or lay out databases. It's a waste of time to teach competency on specific programs . . . software taught in high school probably won't be used elsewhere, or will soon be outdated. Instead, we should teach what a database does and where it's useful, so that if that student winds up running a warehouse or keeping an address book, she'll know to turn to a database program.
So, how long did it take you to learn a word processor? A day? Maybe three? Aside from the mechanical typing lessons, this just isn't challenging stuff.
To cover what I've outlined is hardly difficult--perhaps a few weeks on a computer. Unworthy of much time or academic attention. Learning how to use a computer--as opposed to programming a computer--is essentially a mechanical task, one that doesn't require or encourage creativity.
Of course, using a computer requires learning to type. Oops, I mean acquiring keyboarding proficiency. Again, hardly rocket science.
Computer literacy doesn't demand the same level of instruction as English, American history, or physics. It doesn't require the same amount of effort, either. Spending semesters teaching computing simply subtracts time from other subjects.
Probably because computers are so easy for students to learn, educators love to teach computer techniques. But what are their students prepared for? A lifetime of poking at a keyboard for eight hours a day. It's one more way to dumb down the school, giving the appearance of teaching futuristic subjects while dodging truly challenging topics.
Today, practically all office workers know word processing. Most learned it late in life, well past age eighteen. But some subjects, while easy for a child to learn, are impossible for adults . . . languages, for instance. The earlier you start, the easier to become fluent. Same with playing a musical instrument. Or drawing. Or public speaking. Gymnastics. Plenty of people wish they'd learned a musical instrument or a foreign language as a child. But I've never heard anyone complain that they were deprived because they weren't exposed enough to computers or television as a kid.
Which gives you more advantages in business: having a long history of computer experiences, going back to programming Logo? Or fluency in Japanese, German, French, and Chinese? Which is more likely to lead to a rich, happy life: a childhood of Nintendo and Playstations, or one of hikes and bikes?
When I point out the dubious value of computers in schools, I hear the point "Look, computers are everywhere, so we have to bring them into the classroom."
Well, automobiles are everywhere too. They play a damned important part in our society and it's hard to get a job if you can't drive. Cars account for more of our economy than do computers: General Motors' revenues are many times those of Microsoft.
But we don't teach automobile literacy. Nor do we make driver's education a central part of the curriculum--indeed, many schools are now dropping driver's ed, recognizing that teenagers can learn to drive without intensive schooling.
Sure, cars and computers play a prominent role in our lives. Hey--soft-drink ads dominate our skylines and our globe's awash in a syrupy, brown sugar solution, yet we don't push Coca-Cola into elementary schools. At least, we didn't until educators invited Channel-1 and the advertising-laden Internet into classrooms.
But since computers seem ubiquitous, don't we have to bring them to school? Well, no. Television, which is certainly omnipresent, has been relegated to a fairly minor role in education, and politicians aren't funding new initiatives to buy more classroom TV sets.
Want a nation of dolts? Just center the curriculum on technology--teach with videos, computers, and multimedia systems. Aim for highest possible scores on standardized tests. Push aside such less vocationally applicable subjects as music, art, and history. Dolts are what we'll get.
Mathematician Neal Koblitz recognizes the anti-intellectual appeal of computers: "They're used in the classroom in a way that fosters a golly-gee-whiz attitude that sees science as a magical black box, rather than as an area of critical thinking. Instead of asking whether or not technology can support the curriculum, educators try to find ways to squeeze the curriculum into a mold so that computers and calculators can be used."
Computers encourage students to turn in visually exciting hypermedia projects, often at the expense of written compositions and hand-drawn projects. Pasting a fancy graphic into a science report doesn't mean an eighth grader has learned anything. Nor does a downloaded report from the Internet suggest that a student has any understanding of the material.
Yet the emphasis on professional reports sends students the message that appearance and fonts mean more than content. Kids stuck with pencils feel somehow inferior and out of place next to those with computer-generated compositions. The computer-enabled students spend more time preening their reports, rather than understanding the subject matter.
At a high school science fair, I saw a multicolor map of the Earth, showing global temperature distributions. I asked the report's author why the Amazon rain forest seemed so cold--the map showed the jungle to be thirty-eight degrees. "I don't know," he shrugged. "I found the map from the Internet." The guy never considered that the data might be in Celsius, rather than Fahrenheit.
Am I the only one scratching my head over the relentless invocation of the cliche "computer literacy"? Is a supermarket checkout clerk computer literate because he operates a laser scanner, a digital scale, and a networked point-of-sale computer? Is my sister computer literate because she uses a word processor? Are the mirthless robots at the corner arcade computer literate because they reflexively react to Nintendo droids?
Our nation now spends about three billion dollars a year to wire our classrooms, with an aim of making our country's students computer literate. But how much computing does a high school student need to know?
I'd say a high school graduate, intent on going to college, should be able to use a word processor, manipulate a spreadsheet, know what a database does, be able to use e-mail, and know how to browse the World Wide Web.
But not every high school graduate needs to be able to program spreadsheets or lay out databases. It's a waste of time to teach competency on specific programs . . . software taught in high school probably won't be used elsewhere, or will soon be outdated. Instead, we should teach what a database does and where it's useful, so that if that student winds up running a warehouse or keeping an address book, she'll know to turn to a database program.
So, how long did it take you to learn a word processor? A day? Maybe three? Aside from the mechanical typing lessons, this just isn't challenging stuff.
To cover what I've outlined is hardly difficult--perhaps a few weeks on a computer. Unworthy of much time or academic attention. Learning how to use a computer--as opposed to programming a computer--is essentially a mechanical task, one that doesn't require or encourage creativity.
Of course, using a computer requires learning to type. Oops, I mean acquiring keyboarding proficiency. Again, hardly rocket science.
Computer literacy doesn't demand the same level of instruction as English, American history, or physics. It doesn't require the same amount of effort, either. Spending semesters teaching computing simply subtracts time from other subjects.
Probably because computers are so easy for students to learn, educators love to teach computer techniques. But what are their students prepared for? A lifetime of poking at a keyboard for eight hours a day. It's one more way to dumb down the school, giving the appearance of teaching futuristic subjects while dodging truly challenging topics.
Today, practically all office workers know word processing. Most learned it late in life, well past age eighteen. But some subjects, while easy for a child to learn, are impossible for adults . . . languages, for instance. The earlier you start, the easier to become fluent. Same with playing a musical instrument. Or drawing. Or public speaking. Gymnastics. Plenty of people wish they'd learned a musical instrument or a foreign language as a child. But I've never heard anyone complain that they were deprived because they weren't exposed enough to computers or television as a kid.
Which gives you more advantages in business: having a long history of computer experiences, going back to programming Logo? Or fluency in Japanese, German, French, and Chinese? Which is more likely to lead to a rich, happy life: a childhood of Nintendo and Playstations, or one of hikes and bikes?
When I point out the dubious value of computers in schools, I hear the point "Look, computers are everywhere, so we have to bring them into the classroom."
Well, automobiles are everywhere too. They play a damned important part in our society and it's hard to get a job if you can't drive. Cars account for more of our economy than do computers: General Motors' revenues are many times those of Microsoft.
But we don't teach automobile literacy. Nor do we make driver's education a central part of the curriculum--indeed, many schools are now dropping driver's ed, recognizing that teenagers can learn to drive without intensive schooling.
Sure, cars and computers play a prominent role in our lives. Hey--soft-drink ads dominate our skylines and our globe's awash in a syrupy, brown sugar solution, yet we don't push Coca-Cola into elementary schools. At least, we didn't until educators invited Channel-1 and the advertising-laden Internet into classrooms.
But since computers seem ubiquitous, don't we have to bring them to school? Well, no. Television, which is certainly omnipresent, has been relegated to a fairly minor role in education, and politicians aren't funding new initiatives to buy more classroom TV sets.
Want a nation of dolts? Just center the curriculum on technology--teach with videos, computers, and multimedia systems. Aim for highest possible scores on standardized tests. Push aside such less vocationally applicable subjects as music, art, and history. Dolts are what we'll get.
Mathematician Neal Koblitz recognizes the anti-intellectual appeal of computers: "They're used in the classroom in a way that fosters a golly-gee-whiz attitude that sees science as a magical black box, rather than as an area of critical thinking. Instead of asking whether or not technology can support the curriculum, educators try to find ways to squeeze the curriculum into a mold so that computers and calculators can be used."
Computers encourage students to turn in visually exciting hypermedia projects, often at the expense of written compositions and hand-drawn projects. Pasting a fancy graphic into a science report doesn't mean an eighth grader has learned anything. Nor does a downloaded report from the Internet suggest that a student has any understanding of the material.
Yet the emphasis on professional reports sends students the message that appearance and fonts mean more than content. Kids stuck with pencils feel somehow inferior and out of place next to those with computer-generated compositions. The computer-enabled students spend more time preening their reports, rather than understanding the subject matter.
At a high school science fair, I saw a multicolor map of the Earth, showing global temperature distributions. I asked the report's author why the Amazon rain forest seemed so cold--the map showed the jungle to be thirty-eight degrees. "I don't know," he shrugged. "I found the map from the Internet." The guy never considered that the data might be in Celsius, rather than Fahrenheit.
Product details
- Publisher : Doubleday; First Edition (October 19, 1999)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 240 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0385489757
- ISBN-13 : 978-0385489751
- Item Weight : 1.05 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.75 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,390,558 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,789 in Essays (Books)
- #5,844 in Computer Science (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2015
Cliff Stoll is a natonal treasure. He also makes great Klien Bottles. I never really thought about the whole issue of computers in the classroom, and everything he mentions is still quite relevant today. Excellent book. After reading it, I agree with him.
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2009
"High Tech Heretic," written by Clifford Stoll and published by Doubleday (1999), catalogs the rants of a former computer programmer turned astronomy teacher. While acknowledging the importance of computers, he seeks to challenge the myths about the amazing things they are purported to do. I really enjoyed reading this book, and as a former classroom Computer Science teacher, I agree with about 90% of his sentiments. Stoll's rants are aimed at anyone who uses a computer, either at school or at home. He certainly gets his point across that computers, while useful, aren't the panacea to all social ills as they are sometimes revered. The book is a bit dated as it was published a decade ago, but many of his points still ring true.
Some of Stoll's primary rants are as follows. "Learning to use a computer...is essentially a mechanical task, one that doesn't...encourage creativity" (p. 4). The "emphasis on professional reports sends students the message that appearance and fonts mean more than content" (p. 7). (How many times have teachers required clip art in projects?) He says, "It's easy to mistake familiarity with computers for intelligence, but computer literate certainly doesn't equal smart. And computer illiterate sure doesn't mean stupid" (p. 9). He argues that "equating learning with fun says that if you don't enjoy yourself, you're not learning" (p. 12). Stoll points out that a computer can only give one answer to "What is seven?" but a qualified teacher could give hundreds of responses to that inquiry (p. 21). Similarly, creative people tend to get the most frustrated with computers because a program usually only has one right answer (p. 151). Online chemistry experiments, biology dissections and physics simulations are nice, but they don't provide the hands-on, discovery factor that physical experiments do (p. 29). He says technology "train[s] the youngest children to explore through a computer rather than with their hands, feet and imagination" (p. 68). Supporters promote student laptops as being portable, but Stoll points out that unlike a book, children can't accidentally leave laptops on a park bench, or use them on the bus; also, books don't need batteries or cables (p. 38). He argues that since computers depreciate so fast, it makes much better financial sense to use a ten-year-old book than a ten-year-old laptop. Some people say that books are antiquated, but Stoll notes that many websites are outdated or have non-working links (p. 39).
Proponents argue that computers, unlike televisions, are interactive. Stoll argues that most PC programs ask the user to "sit, watch and be entertained." He also contends that problem-solving on a computer implies the process is as simple as clicking a mouse and choosing the right answer (p. 45). He maintains that computers discourage reading because screen real estate is monopolized by pictures, and users do not want to read lengthy blocks of text because it hurts their eyes (p. 57). Stoll points out that with distance learning, students may learn the required knowledge, but they won't even recognize the faces of those with whom they have "collaborated" (p. 93). He also blames Americans' shrinking view of the world on technology; he says that we view people of other cultures online and on TV instead of getting out there and interacting with them (p. 119). He notes that people rarely get fired for a lack of computing skills but get dismissed often for "being unable to get along with others," which the isolationist nature of computing exacerbates (p. 122). Another rant was about the overuse of PowerPoint. Imagine if Abraham Lincoln had delivered the Gettysburg Address, with an "animation of Washington crossing the Delaware...and the phrases `A new nation,' `Conceived in liberty,' and `All men are created equal'" on his bullet chart (p. 182). He argues the internet is full of (unverified) data but short on useful, pedigreed information (p. 186).
"High Tech Heretic," although intentionally one-sided, was very entertaining and a fast, fun read. Stoll reminds us that even an obsessed computer-lover can still critically examine the promises of any technology.
Some of Stoll's primary rants are as follows. "Learning to use a computer...is essentially a mechanical task, one that doesn't...encourage creativity" (p. 4). The "emphasis on professional reports sends students the message that appearance and fonts mean more than content" (p. 7). (How many times have teachers required clip art in projects?) He says, "It's easy to mistake familiarity with computers for intelligence, but computer literate certainly doesn't equal smart. And computer illiterate sure doesn't mean stupid" (p. 9). He argues that "equating learning with fun says that if you don't enjoy yourself, you're not learning" (p. 12). Stoll points out that a computer can only give one answer to "What is seven?" but a qualified teacher could give hundreds of responses to that inquiry (p. 21). Similarly, creative people tend to get the most frustrated with computers because a program usually only has one right answer (p. 151). Online chemistry experiments, biology dissections and physics simulations are nice, but they don't provide the hands-on, discovery factor that physical experiments do (p. 29). He says technology "train[s] the youngest children to explore through a computer rather than with their hands, feet and imagination" (p. 68). Supporters promote student laptops as being portable, but Stoll points out that unlike a book, children can't accidentally leave laptops on a park bench, or use them on the bus; also, books don't need batteries or cables (p. 38). He argues that since computers depreciate so fast, it makes much better financial sense to use a ten-year-old book than a ten-year-old laptop. Some people say that books are antiquated, but Stoll notes that many websites are outdated or have non-working links (p. 39).
Proponents argue that computers, unlike televisions, are interactive. Stoll argues that most PC programs ask the user to "sit, watch and be entertained." He also contends that problem-solving on a computer implies the process is as simple as clicking a mouse and choosing the right answer (p. 45). He maintains that computers discourage reading because screen real estate is monopolized by pictures, and users do not want to read lengthy blocks of text because it hurts their eyes (p. 57). Stoll points out that with distance learning, students may learn the required knowledge, but they won't even recognize the faces of those with whom they have "collaborated" (p. 93). He also blames Americans' shrinking view of the world on technology; he says that we view people of other cultures online and on TV instead of getting out there and interacting with them (p. 119). He notes that people rarely get fired for a lack of computing skills but get dismissed often for "being unable to get along with others," which the isolationist nature of computing exacerbates (p. 122). Another rant was about the overuse of PowerPoint. Imagine if Abraham Lincoln had delivered the Gettysburg Address, with an "animation of Washington crossing the Delaware...and the phrases `A new nation,' `Conceived in liberty,' and `All men are created equal'" on his bullet chart (p. 182). He argues the internet is full of (unverified) data but short on useful, pedigreed information (p. 186).
"High Tech Heretic," although intentionally one-sided, was very entertaining and a fast, fun read. Stoll reminds us that even an obsessed computer-lover can still critically examine the promises of any technology.
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2015
I love a good contrarian. Christopher Hitchens was of course the best, but Clifford Stoll is right up there with him. Excellent book.
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2004
The more I read this book, the more that I began to understand what it was about and the more I began to agree with Stoll.
Stoll gives many good reasons to question the significance of computers in the classroom. Stoll challenges using computers in public schools because of the high cost, and the low benefits from it. Stoll also talks about technology in general.
Stoll talks about what is wrong with computer learning in our society, by questioning every aspect of computing, especially the computer use in public schools.
Stoll, however does not hate computers, he just hates how they are misused in schools. Cliffors Stoll is upset about how much money is being wasted on technology, that is used for the wrong reason.
I feel that this book is a really interesting book that teaches alot. I agree with the author of this book when he says that technology will never replace the hands-on of school learning.
Stoll gives many good reasons to question the significance of computers in the classroom. Stoll challenges using computers in public schools because of the high cost, and the low benefits from it. Stoll also talks about technology in general.
Stoll talks about what is wrong with computer learning in our society, by questioning every aspect of computing, especially the computer use in public schools.
Stoll, however does not hate computers, he just hates how they are misused in schools. Cliffors Stoll is upset about how much money is being wasted on technology, that is used for the wrong reason.
I feel that this book is a really interesting book that teaches alot. I agree with the author of this book when he says that technology will never replace the hands-on of school learning.
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2001
While computers and the Internet are very useful tools, they have been oversold outside of the technical and database vocations. Education is no exception. The dysfunctional result from public schools appears more a consequence of politicized bureaucracy and an either indifferent or confused citizenry than from lack of resources. (suggested reading: _In_Pursuit_ by Charles Murray or _Inside_American_Education by Thomas Sowell.)
As tools, computers remain cranky if useful devices -- an observation made from running Fortran code in highschool and college since the mid-1970s on Univac, CDC, PDP, SGI, HP on a plethora of operating systems. The code gets fancier, and memory faster to access, but it's no panacea. The medium is too narrow for anything but task-specific operations, and very frustrating as a learning portal, irrespective of baud rate.
Dr Stoll's conversational style perhaps fills the pages more than necessary, but his critics are unable to refute his arguments against the superficial and unverified content of the Internet debases research or the distracting nature of visual graphics advertised to facilitate learning or the wretched quality of current software development and computer ergonomics or the expensive maintenance of equipment that's obsolete when manufactured, never mind installed.
The hype from electronics promoters neglects to mention the advantages of durable media -- primarily books (with text). This failing is evident even in scholarly studies, such as _Integrating_Information_Technology_in_Education_ that exhorts yet more electrons knocked from their p-orbital shells to placate the god "nolij" but no understanding or mastery that comes from self-discipline and investigative study. _High_Tech_Heretic_ serves as an appropriate counterweight to this latest and expensive fad.
As tools, computers remain cranky if useful devices -- an observation made from running Fortran code in highschool and college since the mid-1970s on Univac, CDC, PDP, SGI, HP on a plethora of operating systems. The code gets fancier, and memory faster to access, but it's no panacea. The medium is too narrow for anything but task-specific operations, and very frustrating as a learning portal, irrespective of baud rate.
Dr Stoll's conversational style perhaps fills the pages more than necessary, but his critics are unable to refute his arguments against the superficial and unverified content of the Internet debases research or the distracting nature of visual graphics advertised to facilitate learning or the wretched quality of current software development and computer ergonomics or the expensive maintenance of equipment that's obsolete when manufactured, never mind installed.
The hype from electronics promoters neglects to mention the advantages of durable media -- primarily books (with text). This failing is evident even in scholarly studies, such as _Integrating_Information_Technology_in_Education_ that exhorts yet more electrons knocked from their p-orbital shells to placate the god "nolij" but no understanding or mastery that comes from self-discipline and investigative study. _High_Tech_Heretic_ serves as an appropriate counterweight to this latest and expensive fad.
