Literacy

[Bogdan]

Actually you agree with me. I didn't say that Stanford graduate is smarter, I said he will get the job easily because Stanford is the Ivy league.

[newb]

true

[Zulaab]

So I sent this question out to 9 friends of mine (none of them here on this board) to make it fair.

Here are the break downs and I noticed something interesting here.
Here are 7 responses I got back from the 9.
Giving some back ground information so you too can see what I am seeing.

girl, 18, single, no kids, grad HS 2009 -- why teach cursive if we're all about technology.
boy 35, married, no kids, grad college -- Writing skills is never a waste of time, teach them architecture print too, plus spanish and cantonese.
boy 33, married, kids, grad college -- I still think written skill are needed even today. If you dont learn to work with your hands you will always be at a loss. Also kids have a lot of time on their hands. Make the most of it and teach them everything.
boy 24, married, no kids, grad HS -- Waste of time IMO
boy 42, married, kids, grad college -- They should always need to know how to write and organize themselves.
girl 35, married kid, grad HS -- I think kids still should learn cursive. Yes its may be used less but it is still a fundamental basic we all should know.
Girl 33, single, Kid, grad HS -- Schools should teach them ! It will be used in every day life.. I use it all the time.

[Mzungu]

That's interesting, Jesper. Thanks.

What I noticed about the responses you received was that each one under 30 (33, to be exact) said it was a waste of time, basically. Being 29, and having both handwritten letters and the computer as a means of communication in my school days (which I consider VERY lucky, BTW) I have to take that as a really important statistic. Those who did not have the "advantage" of a computer (read: internet) and its total dominance of culture today still see cursive as a useful tool. Those who grew up with internet, or had it blossom in their early years, don't necessarily see its usefulness.

I, for one, learned cursive, of course, and my diaries from my very young, just learning to write years reflect that, as I wrote mainly in cursive. But once I got a handle on the whole writing thing, I developed my own style of penmanship, as I believe all others do. If I try to write in cursive today, it looks eerily like I am 6 years old again, lol. I just can't do it.

My opinion? I think cursive's great as a way to show kids the world of possibilities of writing. Not just print, but cursive. But, my thinking is - at least they're not talking of getting rid of the printing lessons all together. (That's printing with a pen, not a printer. )

[myjohnson]

Writing in cursive is an art.

[geoff_tropheus]

When I was in my Differential Equations class, several people stood up in the class to complain.

The prof I had was using a computer program called Maple to show us how to, solve the equations by inputting the code and getting the results.

He said this...

"I want each of you to come up to the board and show me the long hand way to get the square root of 2." Then he said, "Can any of you do this?" No one could.

He then said, "There is no difference from punching on your calculator and giving me the square root of 2, versus me showing you the code needed for solving differential equations." He also said, "We can spend the next 2 classes solving this one problem by long hand, or I can show you 10 different types and solutions using the computer. What would you prefer?"

Long story short, I struggled on many tests in some of my other engineering classes, because they wanted to see your work in long hand or to prove a equation. They wanted to see every step... I can say this from what I have learned...

In real life your boss wants that solution ASAP, and the quicker you can get that result the better off you are.

In Academia, it's not their job to teach you, your job. I wish I could have learned long hand to solve Non-Linear Differential equations, but what good would it have been to me now?

Sorry if my typing and English are not to par, but I hated English, and when I was in High School we did not have computers, but we did have to take a 1/2 semester of typing on a word processor. I only wish all Kids could be given the same oppurtunities to learn equally. But at the same time, I see so many kids and young adults throw away the chances they were given that so many of us others and people in the entire world may never have had or see in the future.

[wesleydnunder]

In real life your boss wants that solution ASAP, and the quicker you can get that result the better off you are.

An excellent point Geoff and one which accurately illustrates our society in general.

In Academia, it's not their job to teach you, your job. I wish I could have learned long hand to solve Non-Linear Differential equations, but what good would it have been to me now?

If you can't find the calculator and the PC has decided to lock up, you could still function if you'd learned long-hand.

Mark

[geoff_tropheus]

I think his point was also when you are in that situation, there is no quick answer in Differential equations, and if I needed one... I better know how to find the resource I need in a book, or hire/source out someone who could!!

[cichlid1409]

just call armthehomeless and slip him a $20

[geoff_tropheus]

) Tim should start a out-source company called..

Your Calculator got you down? Your boss *****in you can't solve a 3rd order non linear differential equation??...well here's your solution..Call Tim the DIFI-Q Crime Solver!

He will solve your problem, or get you to buy a new computer...and if that dont work...well its all chaos anyway...he'll give you a good guess!!