Practice Good Theory

I once thought computers were useless in elementary and middle school: costly page-turners at best, and inducements to passivity at worst; but, watching my own child, I've changed my mind. Some computer-based educational software may be mediocre, but the potential is huge. I think computers should be introduced as early as possible in elementary school. Ties to Reality : During the elementary years, it is particularly important for kids to deal with "real and physical stuff". This reinforces the connection between concepts and reality. Consider, for example, an elementary-school child learning Pythagoras' theorem. In some traditional cultures, the child will see a diagram of a triangle in a book;  he'll be told "the formula"; and, he will work out many examples. In contrast, a child in a Montessori school will be given a "toy" which he can manipulate in certain ways to "see" the theorem at work. A more creative teacher might fin...

Web-based radio is not really a broadcast, sent out to the world at large with anyone able to pick it up. Each receiver connects to the "broadcaster". The connection is potentially two-way . Advertisers could use " narrow-casting ". Imagine you and your neighbor are -- separately -- watching the same program on an IP-based TV. In the ad-break,  you see an ad for diapers while she sees one for arthritis drugs. Even in one home, your teen's TV could receive different ads than you do. A broadcaster could also know how many people are watching, without relying on surveys. They'll even know if you switch channels when the show gets a bit boring. One can imagine a world of even more fine-tuned, audience-driven programming (not necessarily a great thing). [" That joke did not work, but the other one was better than expected! "] Take this one step further. Say you're watching live comedy at a club. You applaud. On web-radio, you could  ...