Clifford Stoll's essay about computers replacing teachers and hands on experiences as a means for education is filled with his passion for experiencing nature with all of the senses we humans were born with. He writes of feeling the gooshiness of an octopus, seeing Orion in the night sky and pointing your finger at it, and tasting the salt of ocean water. He cried when he saw a photo of what was destroyed so that the Glen Canyon Dam could be built. It is obvious from this writing that Stoll, with all of his ideals of teaching students nature with "real" experiences, is forgetting that the world around us has changed since his days in the classroom.

Being an avid nature lover myself, I agree with wanting to allow students to learn about natures secrets while hiking in the forest at Yosemite or snorkeling off the coast of Bombay to see the beauty of colorful fish in their natural environment. That would beat going to a florist shop to smell the flowers and feel the plants or going to the pet store to see the fish in their algae infested tanks! But the truth of the matter is, field trip budgets have been cut back considerably, and the liabilities that schools face if something should h

necessary evil in the education of our young society.

e brats who are too stupid to understand that we live on a planet called Earth? Unless we are living in a caveman society, I believe parents, teachers and adults are adequately involved in teaching our young. As a matter of fact, I was sitting in a hotel lobby last weekend when I witnessed a young boy asking an older lady how the revolving door works. She patiently explained to him that no matter where the door is while turning, no air can get in or out because of how it is sealed. And she brought the point home by actually showing him how it worked. The boy seemed to absorb the information and trotted off to his parents telling them about what he learned. This boy actually learned something without a computer! AND... it was human interaction that took place in the process. The boy said "thank you", which indicates that someone taught him some manners somewhere along the lines. I think Stoll exaggerates in this essay while trying to convince us that computers are an un!

o spend some quality mother/daughter time together as I learned to make a traditional Hungarian desert. Had I not stumbled across this delicious desert on the net, my family would not be enjoying Kifli during the holidays. I would not have learned how to make something like this in a classroom. And because my mother wanted me to experience something that interested me, she was there to help.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Computers are important to a student's future. That is why I disagree with much of what Stoll says or implies in his essay. We owe it to our kids to allow them to explore the virtual world, as well as the real world. But we also owe it to them to stay involved in both of those worlds.

The essay was from our english book...

When I was going to elementary school, computers were not mainstream, but I remember taking a basic Fortran class

Some common words found in the essay are:
Contrary Stoll's, Yosemite Bombay, Canyon Dam, Earth Unless, Clifford Stoll's, Thirdly Stoll, virtual reality, computer learning, parents teachers, field trip, computer screen, child's education, real world,
Approximate Word count = 1318
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)