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[Phys-L] Re: Human Error?



I, too, have thought often about that story. Also Arthur C. Clarke's =
quote that "any technology, sufficiently advanced, is indistinguishab=
le from magic." We're there, and then some. Not only is technology m=
agic, it's taken for granted.
=20
My students are excellent. They're among the very best well-to-do stu=
dents in the Chicago area, from the top suburban high schools, and th=
ey're taking calculus-based physics in college, and doing very well a=
t it. Students just don't get any better than these.=20
=20
Their experiences growing up have been different from mine. When I w=
as very young, TV was in black and white, music came on twelve-inch "=
records," two-car households were the exception, we ran around the ne=
ighborhood, and people cooked on the stove, not the microwave. Littl=
e kids can't even play with other little kids around here unless thei=
r parents arrange a "play date." My students haven't worked on cars, =
changed tubes in a TV set, sewed their own clothes, pitched a tent, o=
r grown, harvested, and cooked their own food. Theirs is a world of =
buy it, use it, and toss it. "Make it" and "fix it" aren't what they =
normally do. They grew up with computers, but they've never programm=
ed one - my students never heard of bits or bytes. They're used to be=
ing entertained through TV, movies, electronic games, and organized s=
ports, but they haven't had much opportunity to entertain themselves =
creatively - which is where a lot of learning takes place.=20
=20
IMO, most people (not just my students) have become very disonnected =
with the knowledge that is responsible for their lifestyle. As long =
as they can get it and it works, they don't care, or worse, wonder. =
=20
=20
Vickie=20

________________________________

=46rom: Forum for Physics Educators on behalf of Daniel Crowe
Sent: Sun 5/1/2005 3:14 PM
To: PHYS-L@LISTS.NAU.EDU
Subject: Re: Human Error?



Vickie's description of students' lack of understanding of the inner
workings of devices reminds me of the Isaac Asimov short story, "The
Feeling of Power", in which an engineer rediscovers how to do arithme=
tic
by hand. Everyone had been so absolutely dependent on computers to d=
o all
calculations that they had all forgotten that it was even possible to=
do
arithmetic without a computer. I deal with only the best students in=
math
and science from several area high schools, so I don't see as much
ignorance of internal mechanisms as Vickie, and presumably many other=
high
school physics teachers, see. I do get a few every year, however.

Daniel Crowe
Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics
Ardmore Regional Center
dcrowe@sotc.org
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