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"A wildlife conservation site which aims to save the rare Pacific Northwest tree octopus from extinction… except it isn't. A great site to use that illustrates that not all information on the web can be trusted."

A wildlife conservation site which aims to save the rare Pacific Northwest tree octopus from extinction... except it isn't. A great site to use that illustrates that not all information on the web can be trusted. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/ICT+%26+Web+Tools

Terrific story about the intelligence of octopuses.

Both the author of the article and the people she criticizes are making a fundamental mistake. It is an illusion that kids once learned facts in some deeper way. If the tree octopus had been presented in a book, the kids would have made the same mistake. Much of traditional teaching was not about absorbing certain facts but about learning techniques for accessing those facts. The internet and google really have changed the way we access information. The real challenge is how to restructure knowledge itself to take advantage of the new forms of accessibility. And as for using technology in the classroom: banning computers is like forcing kids to memorize arithmetic tables in an age when everyone has a calculator. We don't need slide rules nor an abacus and there is no reason to teach kids how to use them.