Click for printer friendely version of this HowTo Trading memorizing for thinking It is obvious that each minute spent memorizing is one less minute available for thinking. Thus, it is reasonable to ask, ``what is the appropriate balance between time spent learning, memorizing and thinking?'' Learning takes place in many forms, we are sure, but for us, learning is easiest when we have a frame of reference, a sort of mental scaffolding or mental picture, on which we can hang new facts and extend our understanding. Main ideas are the structural elements of our mental picture or scaffold. Usually, we start with an over-simplified view of some concept - with just the most primitive framework. We then add detail as necessary that completes enough of our picture so that we can readily visualize the answer to some question (our problem). Its obvious that we will not often need the completed picture in order to answer a question - but only that segment of the picture that is relevant to our immediate question. Where do we obtain the detailed elements used to build our picture? The internet and commodity computing provides an adjunct to our memory in such a way that our faulty human memory can be replaced, in many respects, by a faultless internet memory. These computer memories, distributed around the world and connected by the internet, create the possibility of an internet-centric work environment where our thinking is augmented by internet access to information resources around the world. If you accept this paradigm, then education should shift its emphasis from traditional learning (with a dominant memorizing component) to problem-solving where thinking dominates. Problem solving is facilitated by: Clear problem statement. Subdividing the problem into atomic components. Solving (experimentally) components, while building a solution that combines the the components in a way that can be evaluated at each stage of development. Utilizing information obtained from as many sources as possible for the solution synthesis process. The last item indicates that access to information is critical for problem solving and thinking. In our opinion, the ability to use google represents an essential skill for problem solving worthy of association with reading, writing and arithmetic. Google is the 21st century tool that enables us to capitalize on machine memory of distant facts and bring them to bear on our problems of today. Click for printer friendely version of this HowTo

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