The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Technology for Children Major Keary

It may be heresy to some, but it seems to me that using computers as an educational tool is being given a bias that may be more damaging than beneficial to the learning process. The Web is not an efficient method of finding information; some subjects especially computer-related ones - are often best dealt with in Web pages, but a real library with friendly librarians and a properly organised catalogue is a much more effective way of finding real information that adds to real knowledge.

Patrick Casey of the Associated Press in Oklahoma City describes the Web thus:

"It is the world's greatest library with all the books on the floor." The quote, I must acknowledge, was found by web ferret extraordinaire, Robin Howells.

It is worse than Casey's view. The Web is like a library in which ninety-five per cent of the holdings are comic books. Imagine a child left to his or her own devices in such an environment.

The subject of computers in education presents two issues. One is the use of computers as a tool, and the other is learning how to use computers. The value of the first is, in my opinion, overrated and leads to the loss of some essential skills. The value of the second cannot be doubted, but the system seems to be geared towards learning to use a particular vendor's products.

There is a need for children to learn about advanced technologies, but not in a cocooned cut-and-paste environment. Oxford has recently published a real book that offers well-presented information on a wide range of technologies.

The Cutting Edge: An Encyclopedia of Advanced Technologies is not cheap, but neither are the games that occupy the attention of many children.

It is designed "for today's researcher ... [and] explains cutting edge technologies in terms that the high school, college, and lay researcher can understand".

For an encyclopaedia it is not very large (360 pages containing 102 articles), but the quality of content is very good and standard of presentation is excellent. As in any such collection of information the publishers face two problems: that of events overtaking content, and what to leave out.

Concise articles cannot be expected to cover every aspect of a topic, and people with a special interest or knowledge in a given subject will always find something missing. The point is that an encyclopaedia of this kind is not designed for the cognoscenti or technical literati.

There are many surprises. For example, an article on data mining is an excellent introduction with pointers to other resources. For many people it contains all they will need to know.

Apart from being a valuable addition to any educational or general library, the book is something that corporate libraries should consider. If you are called on to provide presentations on technical subjects - such as how music synthesisers, superconductors, Internet search engines, or artificial intelligence systems work - this is an ideal resource, complete with illustrations. Some fifty of the articles deal with computer-related topics, from artificial intelligence through IP telephony to Web TV Other topics include fetal tissue transplantation, genetic engineering, supercritical fluids, and holography.

Each article follows a standard format: an abstract; a scientific and technical description; historical development; uses, effects, and limitation; issues and debate; cross references to related topics; a bibliography; and Internet resources. An excellent example of how technical information should be written.

Information is easy to find. The articles are presented in alphabetical order and there is a detailed 19-page index.

Oxford University Press: The Cutting Edge An Encyclopedia of Advanced Technologies ISBN 0-19-512899-0 Published by Oxford, h.c., 360 pp.,  RRP $130 inc. GST.

Reprinted from the October 2000 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

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