Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 240 pages
- Published by: Anchor September 12, 2000
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0385489765
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0385489768
-
Book Dimensions:
8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
- Weighs: 10.4 ounces
Reader Reviews
As an educator with over fifteen years in the computer industry, I've "looked at life from both sides now." And the truth is, Stoll is 100% on target with his assessment of the primrose path down which computerization is leading education. For those looking for a more scholarly work that addresses the false promises spouted by Gates and his ilk, look elsewhere (John Locke's "The De-Voicing of Society" is a prime example), as Cliff Stoll writes in a more popular style. The amount spent on purchasing, maintaining, and updating both computer hardware and software borders on the criminal, with school administrators caught between the veritable rock and hard place. The populist idea that computer usage equals brighter students is a poison for which there is no antidote. Stoll is correct: the hard way is the only way. Nor can there be any substitute for excellent teachers and face-to-face dialog. The overemphasis on computers provides an easy out for all three points. There is no sin in confessing that this path is a deadend. But with so much money riding on the decision, the outcome seems pre-ordained. Stoll shares this less encouraging belief. I once encountered in Palo Alto a network specialist whose sole work was with two Silicon Valley school districts. His consulting and implementation fees earned him a cool quarter million a year - a quarter million that could easily have provided dozens of other more beneficial educational programs. It was his soulless laugh over the way he taking these schools for a ride that was the clincher for me. Yes, the hard way is the only way. Take the time to read this book and you'll be a believer, too.
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