RE: Are kids naturally good with computers?

From: Eugene Matusov (ematusov@udel.edu)
Date: Mon Nov 10 2003 - 21:58:17 PST


Dear Philip and everybody-

Like David, I think "we should look at practices/activity" rather on
instructional strategies. I think that it is always possible to imagine (or
find) activity contexts in which direct instruction, Distar, scripted
behaviorist instruction are useful and other contexts in which whole
language instruction is not useful (let me know and I can give such
examples). I disagree with Lisa Delpit not so much because she is against
using a whole language approach for African American low-income kids but
because her analysis is often not contextual, not relational, and not
activity/practice-based. Her approach seems to me too cultural determinism
and essentialism.

What do you think?

Eugene

> -----Original Message-----
> From: White, Phillip [mailto:Phillip.White@cudenver.edu]
> Sent: Sunday, November 09, 2003 10:22 PM
> To: ematusov@UDel.Edu; xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> Cc: PIG
> Subject: RE: Are kids naturally good with computers?
>
> Eugene wrote:
>
> LACC kids told me that many of them have very
> little access to computers in their schools but when they have access it
is
> very low quality access described nicely in Mike's old but unfortunately
> still relevant article:
>
> Cole, M. & LCHC (1989). Kids and computers: A positive vision of the
future.
> Harvard Educational Review, 59, 73-86.
>
> In many schools with low income kids, computers often replace worksheets
(or
> workshits?? - pardon my French :-)/dittos to do drills or other
> decontextualized activities using a "bottom-up" approach described in
Mike's
> paper. Meanwhile in many schools with middle and upper income kids,
> computers are often used to promote creativity and higher level skills...
>
> What do you think?
>
> this play out across the academic board - bad metaphor - but, there
is a deep believe
> amongst many educators - and in a sense Lisa Delpit valorized this -
writing that Black
> american students need direct instruction of skills rather than
touchy-feely whole language
> - her example of a reading program to use, Distar, is a scripted,
behaviorist, phonics/skills
> based instructional program.
>
> it is terribly complex - all these people/researchers/academics telling
teachers what they
> should be doing.
>
> phillip
>
> phillip white
> university of colorado at denver
> school of education



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