Kids Can't Use Computers... And This Is Why It Should Worry You

[andrews013]

http://www.coding2learn.org/blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-computers/

 

This is the best piece of editorial literature I have ever read. Not just a rage on iPads and going back to the good old PC. I assume that most of you are your family and friends "Tech guys." This brings a whole new perspective to me. I hope it does to you too. I apologize of this should be in the news section. I figured not since it is an editorial.

[Samdb]

It seems you have plagiarized the whole thing...

 

Edit: Aaaand it's gone.

[Overl0rd]

Lol sorry, but I ain't got time for that :P

[ComputerNoob]

not gonna read through all that.

[Dave :)]

It seems you have plagiarized the whole thing...

 

Edit: Aaaand it's gone.

 

It isn't plagiarism as the OP isn't claiming it to be his own work - he also quote a source at the very top of the thread.

[Samdb]

It isn't plagiarism as the OP isn't claiming it to be his own work - he also quote a source at the very top of the thread.

I just saw the entire article copied and pasted with the same formatting and assumed he had plagiarized it, my apologies.

[CornOnJacob]

I just read through the article, and the author is absolutely right. I'm a teenager, and most of my peers as well as adults are completely tech-illiterate. If we're talking about my grandparents, then they have a good excuse. If it's high schoolers we're talking about, then they really don't have an excuse. I've said over and over, kids should be taught how things work, and that is why the way tech was handled at my middle school aggravated me. The IT people knew computers (obviously), but even the teacher who taught computer class (a separate woman) taught absolutely nothing useful besides typing. 

[Luc401]

Well.. i read most of it. Im 16 i bet you maybe 2% of my highschool 9-12 know how to format a OS and if you really think about it they're the ones who are going to get us 25 screwed over with hidden software like a iphone. So how do we fix this?Id say the school will have to show the kids some how to format a computer restall a os and if you fail that class you fail the grade .THIS HAS TO HAPPEN OR ELSE!!@%^$%yu^t  ^$%bvtr

[jbr]

Lol sorry, but I ain't got time for that :P

 

I was just going out to get me a cold pop and then I saw this post, and I said  to myself, Lord Jesus it's a long article so I raaaaaaaan.....Ain't nobody got time for that!

 

- Sweet Brown

 

[Luc401]

When people look at a screen i want them to think how every thing is broken down how every thing is managed not just click IE  to have "INTERNET"

[Power]

I just read through the article, and the author is absolutely right. I'm a kid, and most of my peers as well as adults are completely tech-illiterate. If it's my grandparents, then they have a good excuse. If it's high schoolers we're talking about, then they really don't have an excuse. I've said over and over, kids should be taught how things work, and that is why the way tech was handled at my middle school aggravated me. The IT people knew computers (obviously), but even the teacher who taught computer class (a separate woman) taught absolutely nothing useful besides typing. 

I'm 16 and exactly the same is going on here, people here are convinced the desktop is dying and tablets are the next generation. My school actually bought 40 90$ china brand tablets to use in classrooms, the result was finding games like temple run or doodle jump on all of them and when they want to use them for tasks it's a living nightmare. Even turning on Wi-Fi is a hassle.

[TheSLSAMG]

As a 15 year old in a sea of 1D this and 2 Chainz that, I am happy to be one of those rarities.

[CornOnJacob]

I'm 16 and exactly the same is going on here, people here are convinced the desktop is dying and tablets are the next generation. My school actually bought 40 90$ china brand tablets to use in classrooms, the result was finding games like temple run or doodle jump on all of them and when they want to use them for tasks it's a living nightmare. Even turning on Wi-Fi is a hassle.

We should really be taught what's going on behind the scenes. Most people barely understand processes, programs, and RAM. Every time something slows down they think its a virus. Schools don't need to teach kids how to use Excel--they'll pick that up. We should be taught programming, troubleshooting, OSs, and using the terminal. If you don't have a passion for it and learn things online, you'll never know how to do things like that.

[Power]

using the terminal

 

Everyone has "omg HACKER!" in their mind here when they see a command prompt / terminal open. It's ridiculous. 

[CornOnJacob]

Everyone has "omg HACKER!" in their mind here when they see a command prompt / terminal open. It's ridiculous. 

I opened a command prompt once in math class (I don't even remember what I was trying to do, since you can't do much in Windows command prompt anyway), and the teacher asked what I was doing. When I said, "Nothing" he asked me to close it because people "messing around" on the computers made him nervous.

 

I think that schools should use linux on as many machines as possible (and they'd save a lot of money on copies of Windows) and use it to teach the kids. Maybe they could use the extra money to upgrade the hardware for the places that need it (graphic design, electronic music, etc.) Of course, then the teachers would need to know how to get around in linux, and we wouldn't want that, now would we?

 

BTW, I made this thread a while talking/ranting about computers at school. You'd probably like it.

[MdX MaxX]

I wholeheartedly agree with this article.

 

You'd think young people would learn how to use computers since they're constantly surrounded by them.  But many simply memorize steps.  Click this, press this button, swipe that.  And if for some reason that order becomes disrupted, they're totally hopeless.  People develop an expectation that a properly working piece of technology doesn't require you to think.

 

And the ease-of-use characteristics of modern devices just exacerbate the tech illiteracy.  It takes absolutely no technological prowess to use an iOS or Android handset.  Most iPhone users probably don't even know what iOS is, and apparently every Android handset is either a DROID or a Galaxy.  They can get to the Play/App Store and download facebook, but if emails randomly stop syncing all hope is lost.

[DLM_012]

That was a really good read despite its length. Yes, people will continue to be less technically inclined towards computers and I'm happy and sad at the same time about that.

1. there will always be a job for people like me 
2. the job will pay well because there are very few people that know how to do what I do. demand for people like me = better pay

I do my best to educate my family on computers though. I taught my sister about drivers, how to install them, what they do etc. She also knows basic troubleshooting. As long as someone has the time and is willing, I will teach them everything I know to the best of my ability.

 

The biggest problem with people my age (19) and my generation in general not knowing about computers is that we grew up in a time where everything is pretty much dummy proof and instantaneous. If something does go wrong, we don't want to fix it because we're obsessed with instant gratification. We'd rather hand it off to be someone else's problem and pay them to fix it.

[MdX MaxX]

The biggest problem with people my age (19) and my generation in general not knowing about computers is that we grew up in a time where everything is pretty much dummy proof and instantaneous. If something does go wrong, we don't want to fix it because we're obsessed with instant gratification. We'd rather hand it off to be someone else's problem and pay them to fix it.

Exactly.  Years ago, if you didn't know how computers worked, you didn't use them.  Nowadays everyone and his dog thinks he can use technology, and when it doesn't work perfectly, it's the technology's fault, and it's time to yell at a nerdy "technology fixer" wizard to make the technology behave again.

[WoodenMarker]

Although this is something we see everywhere I believe it's simply a step into the future. More than ever before, we have all kinds of people using computers and such.

I don't think we're getting less literate in technology even though it may seem so on average. We simply have more people using this tech and that is one step forward to educate those who would otherwise wouldn't even have used a computer in the first place.

 

More than ever before, we have technology inclined people and it would probably only grow from hereon.

[DLM_012]

Exactly.  Years ago, if you didn't know how computers worked, you didn't use them.  Nowadays everyone and his dog thinks he can use technology, and when it doesn't work perfectly, it's the technology's fault, and it's time to yell at a nerdy "technology fixer" wizard to make the technology behave again.

 

Even if these people pay well, I don't fix their stuff because of their lack of respect for what I do. It's a part of my moral code. The people that experience this treatment should do the same imo. Personal choice but that's just my opinion.

[FabulousOtter]

That was a very interesting read  

 

My parents, siblings and pretty much all of my friends whilst I was growing up had little to no interest in technology. I am so grateful that my grandfather bought me some godawful dell running windows 95 when I was about 4 because without him, I fear that I wouldn't be here writing this. I'd probably be one of the technologically illiterate masses wandering mindlessly around completely oblivious about what to do when a popup tells them to download more RAM.

 

Take my brother for example. He's in his last year of sixth form, on track for going into university with 4 A*'s to study Quantum Physics. Yet somehow when it comes to even setting up a new computer, configuring network settings, troubleshooting why 'program-x' isn't working, he can't figure it out to save his life. He's by far the smartest person I know but if anything were to go wrong he'd be completely lost.

[The Last MeMe]

I think it's safe to say everyone on here is well above the typical user computer intelligence, it doesn't bother me much, although what makes me the most angry is when seone who I know knows nothing about computer compared to me tries telling me to do something differently or if I explain something to them because what they said was wrong they will be like oh Thats what i meant. Wtf? You weren't even close you fuck. I agree on the teachers tho I've had too many computer teachers to count that only know what they know because they have th textbook they give to students memorized but f you ask them anything outside of that program they can't tell u shit.

[Beskamir]

Those examples belong in the "Experiences with non-techies" thread.

[newbie]

This article is excellent

It's really like cars, as time passes, everything is going to be easy and you'll pay someone for repairing

I've had a wonderful, yet with some downs, year or so of computer learning, and yet even though knowledge of the basis, this basis is not complete. I learned, for instance, that turning off a computer while pressing for a few seconds the power button or while BIOS flashing is bad and I learned that the hard way. And it's probably not the end for me, though I promised myself to do some research when I don't know what I'm going to do. The problem is even though I like computers, I'm a bit scared because of my lack of knowledge and I'm not interested enough. And the latter of which is actually why people don't know a damn thing about computers. And why we have crappy pre built computers

[TheRetiredSlave]

That was a great article; definitely worth the entire read.

 

I initially typed up a pretty long response to that article, but then I deleted it because I'm a terrible writer and it didn't make any sense.. Basically, to sum up what I was trying to say in a couple sentence, I'll just say this:

The problem isn't that people don't know how to use computers, it's that people are too lazy to learn how to do anything. People would rather have some little box with a screen entertain them instead of trying to think and work on ways to improve the lives of themselves and others.