Mindtools represent and intellectual toolbox that can help students learn. If this true, what are some of the other nontechnology intellectual tools should students have or develop to help them learn? also who would help them develop nontechnological intellectual tools?

-- Anonymous, November 04, 2000

Answers

Children should learn how to use a library, more importantly, they should know how to access an encyclopedia. Despite the fact that computers are more accessable, children will encounter places that do not have them. Not all classes have computers. Children should definately learn the basics. As to the secong part of the question, librarian,teachers, and parents themselves, can help them with nontechnological tools.

-- Anonymous, November 06, 2000

I happen to believe that the first educator a child encounters, is the parent. It should be up to the parent to introduce to a child at a young age what books are, because books are a powerful mindtool, and where can you find book? in a library and book store. Once this recognition is formed the parent should tell them what a dictionary is and encyclopedias. Technology is good but I always say there some things that may never leave us. Although, computers have software on dictionaries and encyclopedias, a child should still know how to use it on books.

-- Anonymous, November 06, 2000

While reading the reponses that others have written, I have to agree that parents are the first people that should help foster learning with their children. I also agree that as much as computers help us, searching on line is so different than sitting in a librabry with books surrounding you. To hold an actual book and flip through the pages is much different than looking at a computer screen. Children should learn library skills, and how to research with other tools and the computer. The computer can not do everything, and children as well as parent should be aware of this.

-- Anonymous, November 06, 2000

Some of the other non technology toolsare books, parents,older siblings and family in general. Children are very easily molded at young ages, Just by a parent reading a book to them they learn and they learn from repitition. I have experienced this with my own child. She picks a book and that book is read to her every night for as long as she wants to hear it by the third night she can already read the book without knowing the words and as a parent and teacher that is what I want because as she gets older she will learnto identify the words. Older siblings and family members are also tools because the younger child learns from them as they are an influence.

-- Anonymous, November 07, 2000

One of the most valuable mindtool that is available to students is the family. The family was his first introduction to words,vocabulary, speech etc. He heard his first words from his mother, played with his father and probably argued with his siblings. The family has the necessary mindtools that a student needs. The family can introduce him to the library, to books, to the park, to a whole array of things that need not be electronical. Look at the students of 100 years ago. Did they not learn and prosper without computers? Did our parents have computers in Europe, no. I feel that they did alright without computers. Mindtools should just be that, mindtools. Technology is fine, but the mind is better.

-- Anonymous, November 07, 2000

Some of the other nontechnology intellectual tools that students should have or develop to help them learn might include books, newspapers, calculators, learning to use the card catalog in the library and role playing different situations within the classroom By bringing the outside world inside, students transfer learning best if they actually get involved in their work. For example, in math, as a class it would be fun to have a week of following the stock market by checking the quotes in the newspaper. We also would keep a chart in the room to see if we make money. To make learning more applicable to life outside the classroom, I would have students bring in calculators which would help them with their following assignment. Calculators would assist them in learning to write checks and balancing a family budget for a month.

Students can learn to use these nontechnology tools through the assistance of their parents, teachers and in cooperative learning environments within the classroom.

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2000