In completing this week's assigned reading, it was interesting to discover the interpretation which was presented about the history the United States' educational system. The description of the influences which have led to the development of the institution of education as we know it today is very interesting to think about and ponder. The transition of the responsibility for education from the family to the institution and government is VERY interesting to think about, especially when contemplating motives of behavior and interactions between parents/guardians and educators.
It was very interesting to consider the "dormant" period in which mass education has dominated while the apprenticeship style lost favor. The authors argue that aprenticeship or style of it is likely to redevelop due to the quantities of information and skills necessary as well as the percieved role technology is described in having as it reshapes education and learning.
The section discussing the evolution of the school system was also very interesting to read because it put into a new perspective the purpose behind many of the characteristics of our current educational system (pgs 60-62). This section included disucssions of compulsory attendance, graded schools, tests, textbooks, carnegie units, and comprehensive high schools. The authors write, "The system that eveolved has proven very effective in educating a highly diverse population," but society has changed and become diverse beyond the capicity of the current instution to effectively address.
Fundamentally the authors point towards these changes as being related to an increase in life span, decreased birth rate, and increasing diversity of the population. The first two points are the most interesting to consider because they hint at reduced tax revenue with which to fund schools and decreased tax payer interest in spending on education. The reduced interest is further reduced by increased demands related to health care and retirement. And, the increased diversity of the population correlated to increased student population suggests the need for more specialized and intensive education practices, which means increased spending.
The future of education suggested in the reading is interesting to consider. The authors suggest certificate training may become the trend of the future as people consciously decide which certificiates to pursue. This personal choice seems to be influenced by personal interest with consideration of economic opportunities. Before making this arguement the authors discuss homeschooling and its benefits, workplace learning, distance learning, etc.
The second chapter dealing with future of education and school was very interesting to contemplate. I especially appreciated the some of the authors' words, "These technological developments raise concerns about equity, social behavior, and the cultural cohesion of society...we argue that it is important for sciety to begin thinking more broadly about how to deal with these new developments in order toa ddress teh issues and problems they reaise for teaching and learning" (pg 90).
As a future educator and as I have stated repeatedly throughout this semester, I believe it is incredibly important to consider and attempt to anticipate what the effects of our long-term utilization of techonology will be. And, as Professor Boyer has repeatedly stated, technology must be utilized responsibily. To me, this means responsible use means it must be used, it should be carefully utilized to elicit desired outcomes. For me, this means engagement of material within individual students minds and not just reading and quickly processing or copying and pasting.
It is important for us to constantly challenge and engage our students, and in my opinion, it is essential our future children are able to remember, understand, explaing, and interpret information from within thier own minds. In developing these skills and abilities, technology holds a great deal of potential for assisting the processes involveed, but in the end, technology should be a tool of enhancement versus realied upon necessity.
Furthermore, schools and educators must make every effort possible to responsibly incorporate technology into students' environments. This will ensure schools are able to compete and keep pace with the rest of world, and in correlation with effective teachers, its students' will do so as well. I also believe the nature of school will likely change over time to the point where potentially the physcially setting is removed.
No matter what though, I believe the experience of education must be as equal and fair as possible to ensure the principles of political equality and justice which I believe in. Although the authors' suggest responsibilty for education shifted from partents to the government generations ago, I argue the responsibility has never shifted. I say this because I believe the government is us; it is comprised and influenced by parents. Therefore, the responsibility has always been in the hands of the people because "we the people" are the government.
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