Homo sum; humani nil a me alienum puto
(I am a Man, and nothing human can be of indifference to me)
Terence, The Self-Torturer
The state of computer education in UK is lackluster and needs to include programming. So says Google’s Chief Spokesperson, Eric Schmidt in the article “Eric Schmidt challenges teachers: get with the program”, By Bobbie Johnson published August 29, 2011, 5:26am PT, GigaOM while he made his pitch for Google TV on Friday August 26th 2011AD at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International TV Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Aside from Google’s obvious Machiavellian ambitions, which run parallel to their ambitions for Google Android OS being the brain in every electronic gadget as per my analysis in the Geezam Blog article entitled “Apple’s Revolution: Android @ Home and IceCream Sandwich in 2015AD”, there is a ring of truth in Eric Schmidt’s observations.
This as it is also true for the US of A and Latin America (including the Caribbean) as well, where 4G Broadband is expanding as stated in my Geezam Blog article entitled “LIME, Digicel and FLOW – Leading the Global 4G Adoption Curve”.
This as it is also true for the US of A and Latin America (including the Caribbean) as well, where 4G Broadband is expanding as stated in my Geezam Blog article entitled “LIME, Digicel and FLOW – Leading the Global 4G Adoption Curve”.
A great deal more emphasis is being placed on learning to use Microsoft products than in empowering students to write computers programs and develop applications programs and operating systems, be it under proprietary, freeware, shareware or Open Source Licenses.
Even worse, a constant sentiment that pervades among Jamaicans, who are mostly FaceBook and Twitter users as noted in my Geezam Blog article entitled “Jamaica’s Low Net Penetration – Broadband Internet A Universal Right” is that anything other than such basic interactions with computers fall under IT (Information Technology) and you have to have done courses in IT to know how to program or how to even use a computer, even if its is just Microsoft Word.
Even worse, a constant sentiment that pervades among Jamaicans, who are mostly FaceBook and Twitter users as noted in my Geezam Blog article entitled “Jamaica’s Low Net Penetration – Broadband Internet A Universal Right” is that anything other than such basic interactions with computers fall under IT (Information Technology) and you have to have done courses in IT to know how to program or how to even use a computer, even if its is just Microsoft Word.
Thus, Jamaicans on average have a mental block to computers, be they laptops or PC’s and believe them to be the toys of the wealthy and privileged in society or the very clever. Yet of all the skill sets one can learn, computing, both in terms of hardware (repair, upgrade) and software (programming, design) are areas of knowledge that are ironically, easily learned from the Internet.
Users merely need to have Wired or Wireless Broadband connection and to see a need for having the Internet that relates to education as opposed to just Social Networking. Using the current expansions of 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) in the US of A, where the benefits to work are many as stated in the article “4G a boon to U.S. economy and jobs, study says”, published August 21 2011 By Roger Cheng, CNET News – Wireless.
This according to Phil Asmundson, a consultant for Deloitte who speaks of its benefits, quote: “Investment in such a powerful form of communication contributes to the economic recovery and provides a job-creating engine for the future”, confirmation of another benefits of Wireless Broadband Internet: Tele-Commuting as per my Geezam Blog article entitled “Jamaica’s 100MBps Internet Silver Lining – Tele-commuting Workplace is coming”.
Social Media Marketing remains another compelling reason for people in the West to welcome the coming of Wired and Wireless Broadband, as it provides a low-cost medium via which one can advertise as noted in my Geezam Blog article entitled “Social Media Marketing – Advertising and Marketing in Ja on a Shoe-String”. Provided the advert is so tailored for the Internet, which is effectively is the New Media otherwise it “canna cross it”.
Thus, even if Broadband were to become a Right akin to the Right to Life and Liberty or slower speed internet access were to be made free as per my blog article entitled “Telecom Provider LIME and M2M Services - Free SMS and EDGE for the Caribbean to Foster Regional Integration”, we would still have to convince many Jamaicans and our fellow Westerners that the Internet is good for more than just downloading and streaming movies.
Worse, there is the emergent trend of cyber attacks as stated in my blog article entitled “AWC Fail, PSN Hack and Nokia Layoff - Murphy Law in a Clash of The Titans” coupled with the trending towards Social Network Prostitution among minors as noted in my Geezam Blog article entitled “Social Network Prostitution: FOMO drives Millennials to “Inboxing”” that polarizes this expanding trend of Broadband Internet. But with time this will pass, as Broadband is too infectious and addictive a service for any bad publicity to spoil, especially as it is mainly news that is only of concern to people in the IT and Telecoms field.
To throw my weight behind Eric Schmidt’s statements, our education system needs to adapt to a coming paradigm that increasingly is heavily scented with the burning carcass of PC’s in this “Post-PC Era” now evident from the falling price of RAM Memory Modules for computers due to lower than expected PC and Laptop demand and a shift of production towards RAM Memory Modules and SSD (Solid State Drives) for Tablets, ChromeBooks and UltraBooks as noted by analyst IHS iSuppli in the article “Pricing of RAM to Plunge, Analyst Says”, published August 29, 2011 12:50 pm By Agam Shah, IDG News, PCWorld.
Meanwhile sales of the device that started this “Post-PC Era” are set to hit twenty two million units (22,000,000) this coming Fourth Quarter of 2011AD as prognosticated by investment analyst Jason Schwarz as stated in the article “iPad sales to hit 22 million over holiday quarter, says analyst”, published AUGUST 22, 2011 8:45 AM PDT By Lance Whitney, CNET News – Apple.
This is all good news to the Telecoms Providers, who can now justify to their investors Hyperventilating Tami Chynn Style over their Wireless and Wired Broadband rollouts over the next five (5) years in the USA, Canada, and Latin America (including the Caribbean!)! Just in time for London Olympics 2012 slated for July 27th 2012AD!
With other Tablets from other PC makers in hot pursuit, it is hoped that at least the desire to make money as a Developer of Apps as noted in my Geezam Blog article entitled “Smartphones and Apps – Freemium Games are No. 1” will make ordinary Jamaicans realize that they can learn programming and armed with the relevant SDK (Software Development Kit), spur a desire for the Internet, Computing and Programming knowledge beyond just typing documents and Social Networking.
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