Clifford Stoll (b. 1950), trained as an astronomer, is a computer security expert and writer and speaker about the computer revolution. His first book, The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracing a Spy through the Maze of Computer Espionage (Doubleday, 1989), chronicles how he tracked and caught a German spy ring operating over the Internet. This selection is excerpted from his second book, Silicon Snake Oil: Second Thoughts on the Information Highway (Doubleday, 1995), in which he explores his ambivalence about where the Internet and computer technology are leading society.
"Computers in the Classroom: What's Wrong with This Picture?" (Composing Cyberspace p. 396) is not available online.
1. How does Stoll support his claim that "only a teacher, live in the classroom" (¶ 3) can inspire students? To what extent do you agree with this argument?
2. Why are computers not essential to most college courses, in Stoll's view? What kinds of learning does Stoll suggest are most important, and why does he think technology can be counterproductive to that learning? How would you compare your own experiences, or those of classmates or fellow readers, in any of the academic fields (from the humanities, sciences, or engineering) that Stoll discusses?
3. Summarize Stoll's views about the high costs of equipping schools with cutting-edge technology. How does he seem to think that money should be spent instead? To what extent do you agree that students get "lost in this promotion" (¶ 112) of computer-aided education and networking?
4. Stoll claims that computers promote "a black-and-white view of the world" (¶ 45). What, if any, value does Stoll seem to find in using computers in education? To what extent do you think Stoll's own arguments about the educational uses of computer technology promote a black-and-white view of this issue?
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