Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology

In the opening pages of the book Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology, I was amazed by the similarities and stark differences of the authors' words, my personal thoughts, and the discussions which have been occurred in class (or at least the mention of thought provoking ideas). The importance of technology, which cannot be denied, is hopefully evident to everyone. It is here to stay.

However, the implications of this are not so clear. The impact of technology on the education system(s) of the United States and world are interesting to consdier. How will these structures change? I believe the public school system MUST be maintained as an institution and format for preparing our future generations for societal membership, national and global citizenship, and including digital citizenship. Who knows, maybe one day people will be discussing Universal membership. Creepy kinda...blows my mind.

One of the most striking statemenst from the reading was...

 "The public is demanding higher standards from K-12 schools with policies that limit the variety of learning opportunities. And communities are less willing to raise taxes for schools, bcause a smaller proportion of households have children of school age. Children raised on new media technologies are less patient with filling out worksheets and listening to lectures..."

 Although this passage states points which I had previously considered and thought about, their inclusion together made me hesitate to continue reading until I fully appreciated each sentence. There are a lot of "big ideas" and practical lessons to be learned from this reading (anticipated).  The ideas discussed are incredible to consider and ponder. What will happen? Who will decide? Also, who will have access to future resources and information.

Another interesting point made in opening pages described how technology has changed the function and responsibility of various jobs. "The work has changed from hands-on to inferenctial, or from concrete to abstract." This is also very important to think about. As technology has simplified (on the surface) and streamlined the functioning of world, our world has changed, and so too have the physical actions, mental capacities and demands of everyday life. The authors and others have likened these developments to a Technology / Information / Knowledge Revolution, and have focused most discussion on the positives of these experiences. I prefer to focus ont the word knowledge. I feel the developments related to technology are more importantly attributed to some type of "Knowledge" Revolution; however, in the long run, is this knowledge based upon individual memory and recall developed through engagement of a variety of learning resources and exercises, or is it more the availability of information for individuals to utilize as deemed necessary and relevant? Maybe both? It is important to think big picture and long term in order we attempt to perceive the potential detriments of such development and strive to lesson thier impact.

In closing, I believe technology is useful, beneficial, and necessary. However, I also believe it has the potential to create a world (in the future) which is not the one intended. We have a responsibility to "improve" this world. I realize the subjective nature of the word improve, but I believe the point is clearly stated by the authors when they write, "Our fear is that social cohesion and equity inherent in the promise of public schooling will be undermined by this second revolution" (Technology / Information / Knowledge).