Eels Blogs

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  Prof. Daz November 30, 2014 at 10:18am

  Sixtiesboy, as a University Professor who has taught in three different nations, trust me, the issues you identify are common! I remain completely unconvinced by claims the use of digital media in education improves learning. I just do not see the evidence for it in kids coming through to University. A facility with a device looks impressive but is mostly spatial learning with little connection to skills or improved selectivity. Like you I am unsure as to the solution, but if I can be allowed an anecdote: we read three books with my 3 year old before her bedtime, and her own story telling always reflects the plots of the books not the cartoons she also watches. Call me a snob but ultimately there is just no substitute for reading, which seems to get lost a bit as schools rush to hand out iPads.
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    sixtiesboy > Prof. Daz November 30, 2014 at 10:38am

    I agree entirely Prof. We are now in an age which espouses self regulated learning with authentic use of technology. There is merit in saying that schools cannot be archaic in continuing to teach children for a world that no longer exists. However I fear that something is being lost in the translation.
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    Carloeel > Prof. Daz November 30, 2014 at 11:45am

    Totally agree prof I read to my kids from 6 weeks old. I visited a school this week to conduct a uni research project and a principal told me some chn are coming to school not knowing how to HOLD a book the right way up let alone that text goes from left to right . Scarey times if you don't balance technology with immersion in literacy from a young age :-((((
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  Tom Laios November 30, 2014 at 1:04pm

  I completed a University degree having to type two essays.All the rest were hand-written.Technology has helped but mostly hindered kids.My current apprentice is a good kid,intelligent,likes Metal but is a moody smartarse who spends his spare time looking at his phone.He thinks his hand writing is fine,but I wrote like that in Infant's school.His  handwriting is still light years better than the previous apprentice,

  The kid had no idea how to read a Street atlas.His response,"Why do I need to.I use my GPS?" My response "How are you to going to use it once I ram it up your arse?"Like I said a good kid,smarter than average but typical of his generation.

  Unfortunately the phenomenon of idiotic,rude phone starers,I talked about in my blog were ranging in ages from 30s to late 50s,so Idioacy seems to be a contagious technological problem.
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  Kevin Flynn November 30, 2014 at 3:28pm

  Sixties boy, as an employee of FACS (old DOCS), everyday I see the results of bad parenting. I myself often find myself wondering if we should not make couples go through some psychoanalysis before they get pregnant, but then we would be getting into a dangerous area of controlling people's lives. Interesting because my partner and I went through a surrogate to have our son. It was all done in Australia with a very close friend who was willing to carry the baby. She is included completely in our sons life and that's the way we want. Part of the laws of surrogacy is that my partner and I had to have 10 sessions each, individually, with a psychologist and five together to be assessed as good parents? Interesting? Spending as much time as you can with your child and setting good boundaries  in it's formative years goes a long way to giving a child that sense of self worth it so needs to be able to cope with school etc. I totally agree with the Prof with regards to reading books and investing your time to teach them things when they are ready. A child that grows up with love and has self worth will cope much better and will find learning much easier. I think everything in moderation, kids need to play and be social, but they also need to understand technologies.
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  My Bob November 30, 2014 at 4:31pm

  This reminds me of an idea an employee of mine had. While reflecting on the fact that you need a licence for just about everything, yet any "dumbass" can have a child, his idea was mass birth control in the water supply and only those who pass the training and assesment are given the antidote so that can have children. Obviously ridiculous and a bit fascist, but the sentiment was understandable.

  I totally agree with the need to read to our children and encourage them to read as they grow.

  Social interaction is also critical for humans. I have been reading about studies on prisoners that have been in isolation for extended periods, the studies looked  at their ECG, they showed a diffuse slowing of brain waves in prisoners after a week or more in solitary confinement. Also fifty seven prisoners of war released after six months in detention in the former Yugoslavia were examined with ECG-like tests. The results showed brain abnormalities for months afterwards, they found those who had suffered head trauma enough to render them unconscious as well as those who had solitary confinement, had the most severe abnormalities. "Without sustained social interaction, the human brain may become as impaired as one that has incurred a traumatic injury".  My connection with this to your blog is, the lack of social interaction that some kids have in their early years could be more concerning than otherwise realised. 

  Sticking an iPad in the face of a 6 month old just doesn't sit right with me, have no studies to refer to but instinctively it is wrong. My wife and i didn't even use the TV as a baby sitter when our girls were young, sure they grew up with the wiggles later on but they never had that constant "stick them in front of the TV in their bouncer, it keeps them quiet" 

  I don't know the answer either, but i do observe the lack of face to face communication skills in so many teens, the instant gratification generation, the lack of resilience
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    Tentonz > My Bob November 30, 2014 at 7:25pm

    With all Tad's red and green, I'm surprised he doesn't follow Souths...
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    Tom Laios > My Bob November 30, 2014 at 8:29pm

    I've put forth the same proposal re: parental licenses and birth control. It will help children as good parental candidates will be chosen,not only rich ones.It might help slow down the phenomenon of the stupid continuing to breed.

    ones.it
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  My Bob November 30, 2014 at 4:37pm

  No mate we give them tennis courts and resort style accomodation
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  My Bob November 30, 2014 at 5:58pm

  Yep unions are all about the workers, just ask Craig Thompson