Sep 28, 2021 23:00:00

The number of students who cannot understand 'files' and 'folders' is increasing rapidly.

The explosive spread of personal computers (PCs) in the 1980s and 2000s made it possible for many people to use the Internet, but for various reasons, some people cannot use the Internet, and those who can use the Internet.

The term 'digital divide ' has also emerged to refer to the disparity that exists between people who are not available. Since modern students were born after the PC became popular, it is easy to think that they are naturally proficient in the PC, but with the emergence of smartphones, the concept of 'files' and 'folders' has been introduced. The number of students who do not understand is increasing.

Kids who grew up with search engines could change STEM education forever --The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/22684730/students-file-folder-directory-structure-education-gen-z

A 'file' is one of the data management units in a computer. Generally, a program file described in a format that can be executed by a computer and a data file handled by application software such as documents, images, sounds, videos, and databases. Refers to two types. The storage location where the files can be stored and classified together is a 'folder', and the name 'file folder' is derived from the fact that it is conceptually close to the 'file (document)' and 'folder (document holder)' of stationery.

Files and folders are no longer common knowledge for people born and raised in the heyday of PCs from 1980 to 2000, but most applications on smartphones, which have been prosperous from the 2000s to the present day, have knowledge of files and folders. The number of young people who do not know the concept of files and folders is increasing because it can be handled without.

The Verge, an IT news media, reported that 'the rapid increase in young people who do not know the concept of files and folders is about to bring about a permanent change in the educational field.' The Verge not only did not understand the task of 'specifying the save destination for the file' when the astrophysicist at Castleton University attended a class using simulation software, but also 'destination'. He took up an episode that he didn't even understand the concept of, and pointed out that the number of these students is steadily increasing.

The problem with The Verge is not only that these students can't handle software for PCs, but also that they can't understand the directory structure.

When dealing with PCs, in most cases you will not even be able to handle software unless you understand the directory structure that organizes files and folders according to the hierarchy, but when dealing with major smartphone applications such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. No structural knowledge required. On PCs, files are sorted by date and category and organized, but on smartphones, the same function is realized by the search system provided in the application, and young people in the smartphone generation naturally learn while handling PCs. It can be said that the situation is far from an intuitive understanding of the attached directory structure.

In a sense, the transition from directory structure to search systems is a reflection of technological advances such as video lending shifting to rental streaming distribution. However, the directory structure is still important because it is more convenient than the search system when processing hundreds of thousands of files in science education. Also, understanding the directory structure is essential when the software asks for a file path.

by Dan Gravell

As computer science has become an important part of the world, the number of schools incorporating programming lessons is on the rise worldwide. However, according to The Verge, there are cases where files and folders are not taught when dealing with PCs in class. In response to this situation, some professors are saying, 'Take up your smartphone and give me Windows 98.' On the other hand, people of this PC generation intuitively understand how to operate smartphone apps such as Instagram. In some cases, The Verge reiterates the obvious fact that things change with the times.