What About the Touchscreen Generation

WHAT HAPPENS TO all these Irish school students who have multi-touch experiences at home and then head off to school? Since they "have plenty of time with computers and the web already," should they be schooled in reading, writing, logic and critical thought before they click a mouse in an Irish school? Is there really a dichotomy between learning critical thinking skills on a device versus learning how to think creatively only with analogue tools? I ask these questions after reading today's "Reality Bytes" column [1.1 MB PDF] by Adrian Weckler. While I agree with Adrian when he concludes, "When utilised in a very focused way, technology can be used as an effective educational aid," I'm not convinced he knows about some of the outstanding programmes that CESI and its advocates have run successfully in Ireland. To remedy any of these deficiencies, I hope Adrian Weckler attends the Tipperary Institute Schools Conference on Saturday, May 15, 2010. That event appreciates peer reviews by outsiders who understand effective usages of technology.

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Tipperary Institute Schools Conference is set for Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland, on Saturday, May 15, 2010. The theme for this year's conference is "Wisdom of the Crowd". The conference will be preceeded by a CESI Meet on the Friday night.

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