ch. 7 Reflection

This chapter discusses all the possibilities of what may be gained and lost as a result of this new revolution. One thing that may be lost is the social cohesion. As parents and individuals retake the responsibility for learning and a split in education occurs, it results in smaller groups of learners grouped by interest (e.g. Christians, Muslims, Mexican-Americans, Cuban-Americans, etc.). This may also cause people to be very diverse instead of acting as a single union and loosing the common culture they receive from mass education. In U.S. history, such previous differences led to the Civil War. There is a push against multiculturalism and celebrating differences in this country, as evidenced by English-only laws, but it is not as strong as it was a few centuries before, which is what allowed homeschooling, charter schools, public schools, etc. to become popular.

Another concern that has been raised is access to learning for all, which has been addressed by providing it through public schools. A fear is that public schools may be left with students who are not interested in learning as parents who want their children to receive a good education choose alternate venues, such as home school, private school, etc. This raises another fear--students with more means and better educated parents have the opportunity to purchase educational services for their homes that those without means cannot afford, exacerbating the inequalities in education that public schools have tried to reverse. This issue began with the privatization (“fend for yourselves” movement) and is now further irritated by the revolution.

The chapter also notes that there may be a decline in liberal arts as education becomes more centered on the individual and what he/she wants to learn. The fear is that people will select only topics that interest them or are job related and not those that broaden them as people, which public schools promote in their varied curriculum subjects. This narrowing of curriculum may make it more difficult for these people to get along with others who come from different backgrounds or hold differing values from them. An additional fear is that these children will have a limited career choice since their parents are choosing what they learn and prepare for.

Yet another fear is that people will become more isolated, glued to their computers instead of outside socializing with others. This may even isolate them from friends, family and community activities, which could lead to depression and loneliness.

A potential gain of the revolution is that learning will become more engaging, directed toward what people want to learn and causing them feel excited and be drawn to learning. The commercialization of education that pessimists worry is creating inequality also contributes to children’s engagement in learning because the products are designed to attract people. The competition in this area is fierce as many educational companies and products are getting into education commercialization.

Another potential gain is that computers can better individualize people’s learning to meet their needs and abilities. For example, computers can provide hints and support when needed so students receive just the right amount of help they need (not too much or too little). This will allow all students to succeed. Computers also will allow people to access information at any time, anywhere, and in a variety of displays (text, videos, tutorials, etc.). Ideally, computer access would be provided for all. Whether or not this will come to fruition we will have to see in the future.

An additional potential benefit is that as students’ education is tailored to their interests and abilities, the competition that is so commonly found in schools will significantly diminish as they will not have others around to compare themselves to. In schools, this competition leads those students who do not feel smart to put as little effort as possible into their work while still passing (not hurting their futures). It is very good to see this problem hopefully dealt with.

Yet another benefit of the revolution is that it places the responsibility of education back onto families and not the state. At home parents can provide the one-on-one attention students cannot consistently receive in classrooms full of students. Parents can also instill in their children a sense of responsibility by giving them tasks to do and expecting them to complete them. Individuals learning at home or work are also forced to be responsible for their learning. People are not going to learn if they do not take responsibility for their education and learning, so this too is good.

How can schools tap into the technology revolution? How can we capitalize on the technology resources outside of school? These are the questions the chapter ends with—very thought provoking! Having more access to technology in the classroom and teachers who are more tech-savvy is a good start. Outside of school, all people can access technology in community areas (e.g. libraries).

I feel that I fall somewhere in the middle of this debate—I see the merit of issues on both sides. As a future teacher, I am more inclined to want students to stay in schools. I will keep the possible gains and losses in mind when I have my own classroom, trying to provide access to technology for all my students while individualizing curriculum for each student and diminishing competition among other things, like every teacher should be striving to do. On the other hand, as a future parent someday I see the merit in home school, private school, and the many other options available to students.