My reflections on chapter 10: Rethinking Education in a Technological World

This chapter outlines the arguments that have been presented through out the book. The authors see that we are in the midst of a technological revolution that must be recognized by schools if they do not want to be left behind. "Access to information technologies has leveled the global playing field" (pg 128) meaning that careers that have made many Americans wealthy are now available to anyone who has access to technology. Thus, education systems must change in order for countries to really prosper. The authors suggest the use of strategies that provide access to new educational resources for everyone in society, and giving people the motivation to take advantage of resources and suggest integrating society, education, and learning.

In order to embrace and successfully enter this revolution we must rethink several aspects of the current system. First, we must rethink learning. Through the use of enabling technologies, learning is slowly moving outside of schools and leaving them behind. Our concept of learning is beginning to broaden following different paths of homeschooling, distance learning, etc. The authors suggest that social networking systems can replace the support and guidance of schools and teachers through feedback and help that is already provided.

Rethinking motivation is required to help our students to develop the motivation to learn. The authors argue "The current school system does not help students develop intrinsic motivation to learn." (pg 131). Though I agree that technology can increase the likelihood of students developing a strong intrinsic motivation to learn, quality teachers CAN support this development. Many students are bored and express negative attitudes towards learning, but especially in early childhood, teachers can use hands on activities that cater to individual needs in accompaniment with technology to reach this goal. Learners can be given more control over their learning and can be encouraged to explore topics of interests through an inquiry approach where students can research the things they are interested through teacher and technological support.

Rethinking what is important to learn is also vital since the current curriculum is deeply rooted in historical practices. I liked the quote the authors used "The core curriculum in modern schools is still rooted in the medieval trivium (from which the word trivial is derived), which consisted of logic, grammar, music, and astronomy...we added courses such as history, geography, and the sciences," (pg 133). In the past students have been required to memorize abstract and irrelevant information in segregated subjects when in today's society emphasis should be put on integrating information, communication, and thinking mathematically.

We should also rethink careers since education is geared toward career preparation for economic success. Current jobs focus on skills such as collaboration, communication, and knowledge-processing which can be facilitated through learning technologies more than in school settings. I agree that students would be better served if they were challenged to solve real-world problems and create meaningful products.

Rethinking the transitions between learning and work is also an important thing to consider. The authors argue that the apprentice system better facilitates this and I agree. Students should be better prepared to transition between school and careers instead of just entering college to get a degree. I was really surprised by the statistic mentioned that said "since only about 30% of students in America ever get a college degree, the vast majority of students have a more difficult transition to make." (pg 137). I would have overestimated this percentage if I were to guess.

The authors suggest rethinking educational leaderships, or a new Horace Mann. I definitely agree that we need a complete and agreed upon vision of education that allows access to resources from everyone in a given society. This is vital since many will be concerned about keeping the current system, others will want to completely change the system, and still others will encourage integrating the two.

Finally, we must rethink the role of the government in education. Currently the federal government plays only a supplementary role in the responsibility of education. It seems that the government is primarily concerned with developing the knowledge of science and math in order to create a more competitive nation. The government can take a more active role by ensuring access and equity for all. State governments must also contribute to a new technology-rich world by rethinking mandates about the current school system that requires students to stay in comprehensive schools until age 16 since many students may have the ability to find more effective ways to learn involving technology. An example would be for states to implement the certification concept that was discussed in a previous chapter.

This book has done a great job of communicating their vision of a future involving educational technology. This chapter brought everything together in a comprehensive manner.