thinking

Why is it that there are virtually no classes in logic or critical thinking in K-12?

I don't think I had any classes on this until I went to college. Geometry might qualify, doing all those proofs, and I loved it when I took it in the 8th grade or so, but I think there needs to be much more actual thinking taught in schools.

I think this will become even more important as access to the internet becomes easier and easier. There is very little need for me to memorize anything because I sit in front of this computer all day, a highspeed connection to the largest collection of information in human history.

Names of the 50 U.S. States? Easy.
Names of the U.S. Presididents? Cake.
Capitol of El Salvador? 3 seconds, if that.
Bones in the human hand? I can tell you in just a sec.

And this link to all this info is getting more and more mobile. I don't have a cell phone or pda, but from what I understand you can do all this searching from those too.

And soon, we'll have direct neural connection to all that info. Will that be telepathy? When you can send an instant message from your brain to another person's brain?

We're gonna need better spam filters!

While I think it is good to be able to quote a poem from memory, there will soon be little reason to memorize a lot of the stuff kids memorize in school. I suppose we should still teach some of it, just to emphasize that some information is info that society says they should be at least aware of. There is so much information out there that school needs to highlight some of it and say "you might want to bookmark this for the future".

But computers can't really think. We need people to do that. We need to be teaching kids how to think. (and how to search for stuff in this giant ocean of knowledge we are throwing them into. I wonder if you will be able to get a degree in Searching one day.)

Am I wrong? I haven't been inside a non-college classroom in over 20 years. My pessimistic side says that things haven't gotten any better in that time.

thinking

Why is it that there are virtually no classes in logic or critical thinking in K-12?

I don't think I had any classes on this until I went to college. Geometry might qualify, doing all those proofs, and I loved it when I took it in the 8th grade or so, but I think there needs to be much more actual thinking taught in schools.

I think this will become even more important as access to the internet becomes easier and easier. There is very little need for me to memorize anything because I sit in front of this computer all day, a highspeed connection to the largest collection of information in human history.

Names of the 50 U.S. States? Easy.
Names of the U.S. Presididents? Cake.
Capitol of El Salvador? 3 seconds, if that.
Bones in the human hand? I can tell you in just a sec.

And this link to all this info is getting more and more mobile. I don't have a cell phone or pda, but from what I understand you can do all this searching from those too.

And soon, we'll have direct neural connection to all that info. Will that be telepathy? When you can send an instant message from your brain to another person's brain?

We're gonna need better spam filters!

While I think it is good to be able to quote a poem from memory, there will soon be little reason to memorize a lot of the stuff kids memorize in school. I suppose we should still teach some of it, just to emphasize that some information is info that society says they should be at least aware of. There is so much information out there that school needs to highlight some of it and say "you might want to bookmark this for the future".

But computers can't really think. We need people to do that. We need to be teaching kids how to think. (and how to search for stuff in this giant ocean of knowledge we are throwing them into. I wonder if you will be able to get a degree in Searching one day.)

Am I wrong? I haven't been inside a non-college classroom in over 20 years. My pessimistic side says that things haven't gotten any better in that time.

caffeine, old friend

I quit drinking Diet Pepsi about ... 3 or 4 months ago, I think.

I was drinking way too much of it and I knew I couldn't not drink it if it was in the house, so I quit entirely.

This afternoon I was at my parent's house, checking up on things cause they are out of town, and there were several cans of DP in their fridge.

Nice cold ones. In cans, the way I like em.

So I grabbed two and brought home.

And I drank one.

And now I can't sleep.

I think I used to probably be able to inject caffeine directly into my veins and not have it effect me much, but apparently my body has lost it's resistance.

Or I just don't want to sleep for some reason. Some people love sleeping. It's too much like death for me.

I stay up too late and get up too early all the time.

I'm trying to counteract the caffeine with beer. So far, no luck. Maybe some more melatonin will do the trick.

caffeine, old friend

I quit drinking Diet Pepsi about ... 3 or 4 months ago, I think.

I was drinking way too much of it and I knew I couldn't not drink it if it was in the house, so I quit entirely.

This afternoon I was at my parent's house, checking up on things cause they are out of town, and there were several cans of DP in their fridge.

Nice cold ones. In cans, the way I like em.

So I grabbed two and brought home.

And I drank one.

And now I can't sleep.

I think I used to probably be able to inject caffeine directly into my veins and not have it effect me much, but apparently my body has lost it's resistance.

Or I just don't want to sleep for some reason. Some people love sleeping. It's too much like death for me.

I stay up too late and get up too early all the time.

I'm trying to counteract the caffeine with beer. So far, no luck. Maybe some more melatonin will do the trick.