U.S. Sen. John McCain has made his fair share of gaffes and desperate proclamations (especially this week -- just scroll through our blog!), including the now infamous "I'm a [computer] illiterate" admission. But all forehead-slapping aside, the Washington Post (via Reuters) offers a nice article on the great power of the Internet in American society, particularly in schools.
The gist of the report is what many school age kids already know -- computers and the Internet are reducing the need for textbooks, notebooks, and even schools themselves. Charter schools seem more likely to incorporate new technologies into the classroom. Last year, Simon teamed up with our friend Alec Ross at One Economy to develop a new proposal to provide every sixth grade child a laptop computer. In A Laptop in Every Backpack, Simon and Alec argue that the future prosperity of today's children and the overall U.S. economy lies in the global communications network:
Connectivity to this network, and the ability to master it once on, has become an essential part of life in the 21st century, and a key to opportunity, success and fulfillment for the people of the world.
We believe it should be a core priority of the United States to ensure that all the world’s people have access to this global network and have the tools to use it for their own life success. There is no way any longer to imagine free societies without the freedom of commerce, expression, and community, which this global network can bring. Bringing this network to all, keeping it free and open and helping people master its use must be one of the highest priorities of those in power in the coming years.
The Post piece does leave us with something to chew on about moving away from books to computers:
"Why would we ever buy a book when we can buy a computer? Textbooks are often obsolete before they are even printed," said Debra Socia, principal of the school in Dorchester, a tough Boston district prone to crime and poor schools.
There is, however, one concession to the past: a library stocked with novels.
This reminds me of an intriguing piece, "The Lion and the Mouse," by Jill Lepore in the recent New Yorker (the one with the heartstopping "bump it" terrorist fist jab cover) about the rise of children's literature and libraries in the early 20th century. A nostalgic read that was fun to discover.
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