This is an interesting question. I certainly don’t think that computers should be limited to the computer lab but they are used more than they should be. To clarify here by computer I do not just mean traditional desktops and laptops but would extend this to include tablets and smart phones too.
One issue I have here is schools often push particular hardware or software; for example my daughters high school used apps to help teach a variety of subjects but in order to access these you needed an iPad or an iPhone. In class this wasn’t an issue as there were a number of iPads available for student use but if a child had struggled with the class and wanted to go over the work at home they were at a disadvantage if there wasn’t one of these devices in the home. Many subjects required essays to be submitted as a word document or require some other particular piece of software. This may be fine if you can afford it but is, again, a tremendous disadvantage for some.
I know a lot of people who struggled writing essays for their exams for two reasons: (1) The couldn’t spell because of an over reliance on the spell checker in the word processor they used and (2) They often could not write in a linear fashion. Many people now do not think think what they want to say and write a beginning, middle and end but start somewhere else they may for example start with a conclusion, add a middle to justify it then add a beginning to explain the aims of the essay and define the terms of reference. This is easy in a decent word processor such as Writer or Word but impossible to do in a sensible amount of time with pen and paper.
Certain subjects such as Maths and English (or whatever your first language is) should use computers very little if at all and with the possible exception of Computer Science accept course work written out long-hand.
I also believe that there should be more of an effort on understanding the basics and have a greater emphasis on coding as it helps people to learn to consider all cases and plan appropriately.
Thoughts?