Digital Discourse Database

Number of Posts: 12
Posts 1 - 10

«Genève veut être une référence»

("Geneva wants to be a reference")

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Newspaper | La Tribune de Genève
Date | 11.9.2017
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | computer programming, digitized education, school
Summary | Some cantons introduced computer programming as part of their school curricula, but Geneva is not one of them. It seems that they're focusing on digital equipment. Introducing digital culture to students is not enough; what about teaching them to be "critical" and talking to them about the dangers that they can face? Anne Emery- Torracinta and Marie- Claude Sawerschel answer some questions.
Image Description | Photograph of a teacher and a student working on an interactive board.
Image Tags | male(s), school

Comment donner le goût de la lecture?

(How to instill the love of reading?)

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Newspaper | Le Figaro
Date | 20.3.2016
Language | French
Country | France
Topic Tags | childhood, school, spelling, texting, threat, word/writing
Summary | Teenagers don't read a lot. This is not new, but nowadays texting and social networks are a priority among young people. They want immediacy, community, and noise, and reading equals silence, long time, and solitude. Young people read differently, which is why Bayard decided to focus on short stories instead of novels. Elementary schools are experimenting something new: the reading machine. Users can alternate on a tablet reading and listening phases.
Image Description | Photograph of an open book

L'explosion des troubles chez les tout-petits surexposés aux écrans

(Rise of disorders in toddlers overexposed to screens)

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Newspaper | Le Figaro
Date | 18.5.2017
Language | French
Country | France
Topic Tags | (mental) health, addiction, childhood, school, smartphone
Summary | Toddlers overexposed to screens seem to demonstrate symptoms similar to autism, a doctor says. Toddlers have already access to smartphones. Sofiane, for instance, got his first tablet at the age of 18 months. His kindergarten teacher noticed that he never wanted to sit next to his peers, and would often space out. Moreover, he always needed an adult next to him to guide him. Those "screen children"often exhibit developmental delays as well as relationship, language and behavioral disorders. Children shouldn't have access to screens before 3. Some parents think that giving their toddlers "learning tablets" will help them in the future.
Image Description | N/A

Le HTML5 se parlera-t-il avant l'alphabet?

(Will people speak HTML5 before the alphabet?)

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Newspaper | 24 heures
Date | 28.12.2016
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | computer programming, digitized education, school
Summary | A lot of parents would like their children to be able to speak the language of computers. However, Swiss schools do not allow kids to learn how to speak fluently HTML5, Python or Java Script. Switzerland is lagging behind in terms of digital education. In Anglo-Saxon countries, computer programming has been part of primary schools' curriculum for two years. Learning computer programming is useful if one wants to know the logic behind a smartphone, a video game, or a fridge.
Image Description | N/A

Pour l’accès à une culture générale numérique

(For an access to a general digital culture)

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Newspaper | Le Temps
Date | 19.11.2016
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | computer programming, digitized education, school
Summary | Some people would like to introduce computer programming in school curriculum whereas others are more cautious. The author of the article thinks that it would be useful to teach the basics of computer programming. He distinguishes the terms "digital culture" and "programming". A digital culture concerns one's knowledge about what a VPN is, about Google's algorithms, or about what the introduction of the SwissPass involves. Computer programming concerns the different languages used in the field. Programming is the key to understanding our digital culture.
Image Description | N/A

Intelligence artificielle: les géants du Web lancent un partenariat sur l'éthique

(Artificial Intelligence: Web giants launch partnership on ethics)

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Newspaper | Le Monde
Date | 1.10.2016
Language | French
Country | France
Topic Tags | artificial intelligence, law, research/study, threat
Summary | Artificial intelligence is spreading, which can be worrying. Google, Facebook, IBM, Microsoft and Amazon decided to create the "Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to Benefit People and Society" in order to answer ethical questions, and do more research on the impact of new technologies on society. Another goal of the project is to educate people, listen to them, and be transparent with them. Stephen Hawking thinks that AI could end humanity, and Elon Musk claims that it could be more dangerous than atomic bombs.
Image Description | N/A

C'est la rentrée à l'école numérisée

(It's the start of the digital school year)

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Newspaper | Le Temps
Date | 30.8.2016
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | childhood, digitized education, school, smartphone, youth
Summary | A school principal explains how digital devices can help children learn. He wants to progressively digitize 50% of the school material. Smartphones and laptops don't ruin the school system; we just need to know how to use them. At his private school, everyone has a an iPad where they can find their class material. Now, the school provides each child with an iPad, but soon everyone will bring their own device. Our digitized society has the advantage of tightening social relationships between people, which is something not everyone agrees with.
Image Description | Photograph of a child using a tablet.
Image Tags | chart, female(s), male(s), school, tablet

Des écoles banissent le portable des préaux

(Schools prohibit cell phones on their playgrounds)

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Newspaper | 20 minutes
Date | 12.9.2016
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | school, smartphone, technology-free, threat, youth
Summary | Several schools in Switzerland have prohibited the use of smartphones during recess. Students do not learn as well as before, and interactions in the classrooms are not as good. Other people don't agree with this new rule. Schools need to accept the fact that everyone owns a smartphone nowadays. People communicate, which is a huge advantage of smartphones. Also, students should be able to be "free" during recess. They might want to be alone, and this is okay. Finally, a school principal thinks that prohibiting smartphones during recess is better for students; smartphones hinder the development of intercommunication.
Image Description | Photograph of a group of young male teenagers smiling and looking at their smartphones.
Image Tags | male(s), smartphone

Non, le langage “sms” ne nuit pas à l’orthographe!

(No, text message language does not harm spelling!)

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Newspaper | 24 heures
Date | 22.3.2014
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | language threat, research/study, school, texting, youth
Summary | Some people are worried that the new language of text messages is going to replace grammar, and that our children might forget how to write words properly. According to a study published in the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, the answer is no. The results of the study show that 48% of the words are spelled according to standard spelling. The research also shows that there is no link between traditional spelling skills and text message features. Finally, they claim that the best students are the ones who use text message features the most. Other similar studies prove the same point.
Image Description | N/A

Il faut archiver nos vies pour que l’histoire vivante ne s’arrête pas

(We need to archive our lives so that history does not stop)

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Newspaper | La Tribune de Genève
Date | 26.3.2014
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | language threat, research/study, school, spelling, texting, youth
Summary | Some people claim that writing with abbreviations is harmful for standard language. Others claim that it does not; some studies demonstrate that students can perfectly write abbreviations and their "standard" equivalent. Moreover, a study showed that students who are skilled in text message language have also better spelling skills in general. Writing is part of our culture; we write more and more. Thus, our practices resemble our forefathers’. The only difference is that nowadays it is more difficult to save and record our texts, whereas in the past people used to keep their letters and messages.
Image Description | Photograph of Benjamin Chaix, the author of the opinion piece.
Image Tags | male(s)

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