A.included as an auxiliary course in schoolsB.highlight……
TEXT B
An invisible border
divides those, arguing for computers in the classroom on the behalf of students
career prospects mid those arguing for computers in the classroom for broader
reasons of radical educational reform. Very few write on the subject: have
explored this distinction -- indeed, contradiction -- which gees to the heart of
what is wrong with the campaign to put computers in the dark.
An
education that alms at getting a student a certain kind of job is a technical
education, justified for reasons radically different from why education is
universally required by law. It is not simply to raise everyone’s job prospects
that all children are legally required to attend school into their teens.
Bather, we have a certain conception of the American citizen, a character who is
incomplete if he cannot competently asses how his livelihood and happiness are
affected by things outside of himself. But this was not always the ease, before
it was legally required for all children to attend school until a certain age.
It was widely acteristic of all industrialized countries, we came to accept that
everyone is fit to be educated. Computer education advocates forsake this
optimistic notion for a pessimism that betrays their otherwise cheery out-look.
Betaking on the confusion between educational and vocational reasons for
bringing computers into schools, computer advocates often emphasize he job
prospects of graduates over their educational achievement.
There
are some good arguments for a technical education given the right kind of
student. Many European schools introduce the concept of professional training
early on in order to make sure children are properly equipped for the profession
they want to join. It is, however, presumptuous to insist that there will only
be so many jobs for so many scientists, so man2’ businessmen, so many
accountants. Besides, this is unlikely to produce the needed number of every
kind of professional in a country as large as ours and where the economy is
spread over so many states and involves so many international
corporations.
But, for a small group of students, professional
training might be the way to go since well-developed skills, all other factors
being equal, can be the difference between having a job and not. Of course, the
basics of using any computer these days are very simple. It does not take a
life-ling acquaintance to pick up various software programs. If one wanted to
become a computer engineer, that is of course, all entirely different computer
skills are only complementary to the host of great skills that are necessary to
becoming any kind of professional. It should be observed, of course that no
school, vocational or not, is helped by a confusion over its purpose.
According to the author, basic computer skills should be ______.
A.included as an auxiliary course in schools
B.highlighted in acquisition of professional qualifications
C.mastered through a life-long course
D.usually emphasized by any school