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Originally Posted by ma-skis.com
Sounds like the person who can use the software is more clever, since they can spend the rest of their time applying that knowledge in critical situations. I doubt that the person who is using the software spends the difference in time, compared to the pencil and paper guy, doing nothing.
Technology has removed a lot of middlemen from workplaces and now forces workers to get the answer, but to also know what to do with it rather than putting it in an outbox.
Consider the changes in a math classroom where students are looking at what graphs mean today verses plotting points on a graph with paper and pen verses using a graphing calculators. The shift (I won't argue how effective it is being implemented in a classroom) is placed on interpreting rather than making. Those are the skills required in today's market.
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You deviate from what I would consider clever. Again speed or efficiancy does not equate to cleverness. The individual is not responsible for the efficiancy, the machine/software (or the individuals that designed it) are. Comprehension equates to cleverness IMO. Just because someone like Phanuthier (an individual) can help to provide a tool that makes a task quicker does not make the end user himself cleverer. They exercised significantly less brainpower to obtain the same result.
And what make you think that people that plotted graphs on pen and paper stopped short of the interpretation process?
Ask a 14 year old nowadays some quickfire mental arithmetic questions without a calculator. Ask them can they remember the phone numbers of 10 acquaintances without their cell phone.
A monkey these days can plot a graph. It's takes a certain degree of knowledge to understand the fundamentals behind the workings of the graph.
Technology IMO no doubt has huge benefits. It's also responsible IMO for a lot of dumbing down of society.
And re. entitlement. Phanuthier (and I'm not directing this to you personally), we've already had the conversation regarding entitlement to marks in university. Some students feel that simply because they've paid a fee that they're entitled to pass a degree or get good grades regardless of ability or work put in.
Remember the student story: "I don't understand why I didn't get an A because I sat in the front row for all the lectures" story I told a while back?
Was honour students poster presentations last week. More of the same.
Student:I don't understand why I got a bad mark?
Prof: Remember all the changes I suggested and everything we talked about?
Student: Yes.
Prof: Did you do them?
Student: No.
Prof: Why not?
Student: I was too busy?
Prof: Guess what the main comments were with regards to you getting a poor mark. (external markers)
Student: Ummmm
Student: I still think I should have got a better mark? Can I get marked up? I really need this to get into x grad school.