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points by jdiff 4 days ago | 0 comments
They are carrying smartphones. They're not allowed to come out during class, they don't have access to the WiFi, and cell signal is extraordinarily weak across most of the campus.

Public library? They're at a school. They're sitting in front of a computer. They should be able to use it to find information. You keep reaching for "why do they need it?" but there's no reason why they should not have access to search engines. I provided several examples and there are very many more out there. Not every class teaches from a textbook.

[–] OroPla 3 days ago
What the heck are they doing in front of a computer while at school? Why ban smartphones, but not computers?

When in class, pay attention to what the teacher says. At home you can look up stuff on the Internet.

[–] jdiff 3 days ago
Using it to take my graphic design class. Or their Microsoft word class. Or writing the essay they're working on in English. Working on their slideshow with their group in almost any class. Or all the other things I already listed in earlier comments. Education has changed, and it doesn't mean things are being left out.

Ban smartphones because their addictive social media apps are on it distracting them from the class. The computers are school-controlled and filtered devices. This is plain enough that it shouldn't require explanation.

Why should they not have access to a basic internet tool at school?

[–] OroPla 3 days ago
For the same reason calculators should be banned. Outsourcing your thinking is not the point of school.
[–] jdiff 3 days ago
Neither tool is doing any such thing. Calculators won't solve the other side of the triangle for you, they won't remember SOHCAHTOA for you, just tell you what sin(27) factually is. No critical thought is lost when searching "CC-BY icon" in Google Images either.

AI, however, does readily assist in outsourcing critical thinking. Which is why it's silly for Google to conflate Search and Gemini. And why it's silly that you're doing approximately the same.