Computers Cannot Teach Children Basic Skills

Computers are really fantastic instruments which can be useful everywhere, whether in
office, at the house or in school. The capabilities of computer are great in giving information,
enjoyment, communication, and even in the utilization of academic requirements in school.
David Gelernter is right, computers really teach some things well and they are needed in school
since they help the students learn many things. However, computers are not humans, they have
no feelings or emotion, and computers cannot be a worthy substitute to our dedicated teachers in
the development of children’s skills and values. David Gelernter accentuates that computers
cannot teach children basic skills.

Children’s basic skills pertain to reading, writing and arithmetic. As pointed out in the
essay, multimedia is doing harm by diverting the interest of the children from reading books, a
necessity in the development of reading skill. How can book with 100 or more pages, competes
with a wonderful alternative of text, sound and pictures in a single package? In this generation of
computer, students just click the keyboard and just like magic, the written output required by
teacher will appear with correct pronunciation, correct grammar, correct spelling but written by
printer not by the hands of the students. This illustration makes many children paranoid of the
computer at the expense of depriving them the opportunity to improve their mental capacity, to
think and analyze with creativity. It is also a sad state that computer printers are also winning
over children’s handwriting skill. Mr. Gelernter bemoans the school’s policy of allowing the
children to rely solely on calculator for solving math problems. Children must always be
encouraged to exercise their mathematical ability which can be very useful in the real world
outside of school.

The essay suggests 3 worthy ideas for children in school. First is the revision of software
for children. This is really needed especially that most software for children’s games are full of
violence. Computers in school should be used only during recess or relaxation period. In this
way the children can have much time to fully use their mental capacity without the aid of the
computer. Children can also have better time to maintain social interaction with other children
and to participate in active physical activities instead of just sitting in front of the computer. The
most important idea of the essay is the reality that children will not learn unless they have a face
to face interaction with their teacher.

The essay cogency states that computers are needed in school since they are beneficial in
some ways, but their potential harm is vastly greater. School policy should therefore include
ways to manage the children’s computer usage in school. Computers cannot teach children basic
skills in school. The teachers in school and the parents at home are capable of teaching children
with the basic skills.