As much as we try to deny it, there is little doubt our addiction to digital toys is lowering the collective intelligence of the planet. Our latest entry in the growing body of proof for this conclusion can be found in
Scientific American. Here we have a compelling argument for taking notes with simply a pen and paper, yet our elementary schools are rapidly jettisoning the instruction of handwriting in favor of showing third graders how to “keyboard.” Somewhere
Information Scientists are smiling at the new generation of slavish Eloi who cannot remember anything other than which button to push.
There was a reason why children were taught by rote in the old days. Reciting the multiplication table to the teacher’s snapping fingers was a way to embed a useful bit of knowledge into a pliable young brain. Those who have argued against this method of teaching frequently decry the use of memorization without understanding. Here at
True Archives, we wonder how much understanding is taking place when a child uses a keyboard to find out what seven times seven is.
