Comments on: Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, or Do You Just “Google” It?

By: Mike Spencer

Mike Spencer — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 16:48:14 +0000

Personally I think people are getting dumber in general – but there’s also a percentage of people getting way smarter too.

The people who rely on technology to do the “remembering” for them are the “getting dumber” group, but then there’s the people using that same technology to provide the services…..

By: Water Portal

Water Portal — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 13:40:16 +0000

people dont get dumber by saving so much info on the web, as they did not get dumber when started using hand notebooks and were carrying pens in pocket to note addresses, phone numbers etc. and using technology people got much more effective.
i do translation from my home. i find customers online, i track my sales using online services, i get paid online i do shopping online which is delivered to my home by services. if this is what they call dumb then i would prefer being dumb than being a smart who goes to job interviews, gets up at 6 am in the morning to catch a bus, waits in line of banks and many other dumb staff that can be avoided by using online technology.

By: Bushido

Bushido — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 11:11:44 +0000

I Google it. v_v

By: Music Software

Music Software — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 09:53:35 +0000

I had my share of teachers who insisted that I learn things by rote. I am grateful particularly for the arithmetic tables that we were compelled to learn by heart. I do not carry a pocket calculator with me everywhere and I look bemusedly at counter clerk using one to do simple tasks.

I also had teachers who taught that one must learn how to learn. One need not remember everything and it will suffice if one knew how to get informaion when needed.

Today Google has made it easier, but before that we had the dictionary, the thesaurus, the encyclopedia etc to help us. The only thing that has changed is that we can be smart faster than before.

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 06:55:38 +0000

The problem with Google is it makes people too lazy. Small details help improve your critical thinking. The ability to “connect the dots” is what makes someone intelligent. Besides, your brain can never fill up with information. It is your ability to recall it that fails.

By: Steven Bradley

Steven Bradley — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 06:26:58 +0000

As we get older we instead of storing every fact we instead store information about where we can find the facts. I don’t think this is a search engine thing, but something that’s been going on a lot longer.

It takes less memory to store the information about where something might be than to store the information itself.

By: missfits

missfits — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 01:29:00 +0000

I think it’s just the devices that change.
Letterpress and libraries did not make people dumber but smarter instead. The web or computers have the same potential.

Everything is a question of how accessible, credible and omnipresent a device is or can be.

But: What have we already lost to pocket calculators and Excel? Will we have lost our ability to write by the time when speech recognition and computers are omnipresent?

By: Stefanie

Stefanie — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:13:07 +0000

I also agree with DJ. He’s right that smart people don’t need to know everything, they just need to know where to find it. Research a topic may sometimes be challenging as well.

By: Stefanie

Stefanie — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:11:11 +0000

Googling something doesn’t make one dumb, it makes them want to learn more about a topic. We do not need to have anything memorized and we do not need to know everything. The computer is a great storage place and is very helpful

By: Word Hugger

Word Hugger — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 23:41:22 +0000

Teacher: Who was the 26th president?
Me: Who cares?

I will keep my Google habbits!

By: Andy Beal

Andy Beal — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 22:40:48 +0000

I’m glad to have a quick, accurate resource for storing and finding information. Technology is only going to get better. 100 years ago, they probably debated if we’d all go dumb with the mass production of books to store information.

By: DJ

DJ — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 22:33:21 +0000

Smart people know that you don’t have to know everything…you just have to know where to find it.

By: Visalia Homes for Sale

Visalia Homes for Sale — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 21:07:50 +0000

Ouch – If I were “Off the grid” – I would be “Up a Creek”! Really, I do rely on google for everything. I find myself googling things on my phone at the store and in my car. I get in an argument at 11PM with hubby, no problem I will google it and make sure he knows I’m Right darn it! haha…

By: Aaron

Aaron — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 20:48:30 +0000

If I’m off the grid and can’t come up with the name of the 23rd President, which I need because… er….

Memorizing useful facts is one thing. But we need to differentiate “quality education” from “trivia contests”.