Kids can't use computers... and this is why it should worry you

[mfleming]

(03-07-2023 05:30 AM)Garth Wilson Wrote:  <snip>  Six or eight years ago, just for the fun of it, one of the leaders went up to one of the tables which had 4th- to 9th-graders, and said, "Ok everyone, what's ten divided by six?"  All eyes turned glassy.  After several seconds, two of them thought to reach for their smartphones to try to find a calculator ap, but even still, could not give an answer.  I was flabbergasted.

This is a good example of context and experience. Decades ago in a cash economy everyone carried an assortment of bills and coins to pay for purchases. If you were low on small denomination bills or had too many small denomination coins you'd hand over more than the purchase price with the expectation of "breaking a twenty" or trading a few small coins in return for one larger coin. Everyone, including the clerk, could instantly do the math in their head.

The transition from cash to plastic was gradual, but struck home decades ago when I handed some money to a clerk at McDonald's. First she looked at me in puzzlement because I gave her "too much" in small coin, then she had to punch the amount into the register to figure out how much small change to return. "Ha! Dumb!" I thought, but how many carry cash and coin these days? It's a shame no one can do that kind of math in their head, but does anyone really need to?

And no, I can't recite the complete Iliad from memory either