When I was in the 7th grade, it was 1951. Computers were not a retail item at that time. We didn't get our first home computer until 1984. However, local 7th graders today must come to school with "flash" (a.k.a. "thumb") drive, a finger-sized device that stores computer files on it. In addition to needing a thumb drive for school, they learn to use spreadsheets and other commercial software. That makes sense since such tools can greatly enhance an individual's productivity and ability to handle paperwork and information.
Maybe five or ten years ago, I heard a career-planning official from some college state his opinion that the single most valuable skill college grads could take from college is knowledge of how to use a spreadsheet, another computer tool that did not exist in my junior high days.
When I first began to use a computer, the year was 1965. No need to rehash the days of decks of punched cards but they did exist and they enabled rapid and more or less error-free computing of math and statistics. My first home computer used small disks that were encased in hard plastic for protection. They probably didn't weigh much more than today's thumb drives, especially the ones that are about the size of my thumb nail. However, the thumb drives have a much, much larger capacity: much larger than the campus academic computer that I was in charge of, like 4 million times the storage space. But at the time,that academic computer was the latest and hottest item and rented for only $16,000 a year. It was the size of a desk, not a thumb.
By the way, the business end of a thumb drive is what is called a USB connector. You can buy a thumb drive that has such a connector on the end of a plastic thumb, that looks like a human thumb.
Of course, the school has a computer lab and students have a regular class in using a computer. Sometimes, they get homework but questions for me arise: what about kids without a home computer? What about kids who have equal but different software at home? What about teachers trying to juggle several formats of computer file that homework comes in?
There is an app for iPad/iPhone called "Air Drive" that may be of interest. It allows transfers to and from Macs and PC's of files of many types. Costs $2.00 and may be worth it.
Modern American schooling is complex and challenging and technology is just one part of it.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
