Thread: The loss of basic skills in school

Originally Posted by pmburk

I graduated from an online college that used e-textbooks. They were in PDF format and I was able to use my Dell WinXP laptop and/or my Dell desktop. Can a student today still use a laptop or desktop instead of having to purchase an iPad? My point here is, if you have a laptop with Adobe Reader, why go out and purchase an iPad?

Well you're not going to lug a desktop to class, are you?

For an all-purpose device a laptop is great, but tablets are light, quick and convenient.

Originally Posted by commiecat

Well you're not going to lug a desktop to class, are you?

For an all-purpose device a laptop is great, but tablets are light, quick and convenient.

I didn't have to, I earned my degree from home online.

Originally Posted by pmburk

I didn't have to, I earned my degree from home online.

Well I was talking about students in a general term, not you specifically.

My point here is, if you have a laptop with Adobe Reader, why go out and purchase an iPad?

I can see lots of reasons for a student to buy and use a tablet in lieu of their laptop: they're quicker to start up, lighter, smaller, more quiet when typing, etc. That isn't to say that everyone should do so, but I got the impression that you're questioning why anybody would choose one over a desktop or laptop.

Originally Posted by commiecat

Well I was talking about students in a general term, not you specifically.



I can see lots of reasons for a student to buy and use a tablet in lieu of their laptop: they're quicker to start up, lighter, smaller, more quiet when typing, etc. That isn't to say that everyone should do so, but I got the impression that you're questioning why anybody would choose one over a desktop or laptop.

It would have to depend on the situation. In my case, there was no need for me to get a tablet if they were available at that time I was enrolled in my online college. But going to a campus for class, a tablet would work based on your explanation.

Here's an idea: if everything is going electronic, how are kids supposed to develop good writing skills?

Originally Posted by Bruno

Here's an idea: if everything is going electronic, how are kids supposed to develop good writing skills?

Do you mean penmanship, or writing style and grammar?

Originally Posted by Bruno

Here's an idea: if everything is going electronic, how are kids supposed to develop good writing skills?

I think when the time comes they just won't.
I'm sure at one point people were worried how kids are going to develop good hunting skills, but the lack of those doesn't seem to bother most people anymore.

More recently there was concern about kids learning basic arithmetic. Electronic calculators have been available for many decades now, but still kids are taught how to do long division because it's important not as a skill, but as a developmental tool. Probably the same thing with basic writing, but as far as I can tell calligraphy has been obsolete for decades already with no dramatically ill effect.

Originally Posted by Bruno

Here's an idea: if everything is going electronic, how are kids supposed to develop good writing skills?

I have read reports and emails from people where the writing skills were horrible in spite of MS Word and other word processing applications. I even catch my own errors and I use MSWord at work and Pages at home on my iMac.

Well, the quality of the writing is not affected by the use of technology. In fact the technology makes it much easier to improve it, since it allows for much faster editing than using, for example, chisels and stone.
For me there are no better word processors than vi and emacs, and no better publishing software than LaTeX. MSWord/Pages/etc. are for those who don't mind that their documents look like those of a first grader.