Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: Chapter 4

THE DEVELOPMENT OF AMERICAN SCHOOLING


This was a pretty informative and interesting chapter I'd have to say.  I'm not quite sure I agree with the point they were trying to make however.  In this chapter they talk about how the American school setting is not where it should be and that the future is most likely not going to need schools and just technology.  I agree that schools should be much more technologic, but I don't agree that we will soon be seeing a future without the universal schooling system.  I really hope not anyway since that is my future career! So I guess what I got out of this (positively) was that in order to keep the universal school system alive in America, schools need to start really thinking outside of the box and what is comfortable for them.  Our future is all about technology and if we don't start integrating that into our schools maybe we will lose the traditional school system we love.  I hope to integrate technology on a large scale along with other traditional aspects though. I hope that by changing the school system just a little that it will be protected and not become a thing of the past.


I thought it was interesting to see how our nation evolved to the universal school system.  I never really sat down and thought about it much.  It makes sense that the Industrial Revolution led to the universal school system, however I would argue that technology will not boot out the school system.  Without out schools and having teachers push and inspire their students who will?  Do they really think that students are going to just sit down on their own and learn? No way. Sorry.  There will always need to be authority.  Anyways back to what I learned about the past.  During the Industrial Revolution there were only three ways to occupy children in the cities: working in factories, learning in schools, or getting into trouble.  So when child labor laws were created it only makes sense that all children would be in schools.  We wouldn't want them falling to the other alternative, trouble, would we?  Just something I found interesting and never really took time to think about.  Also just a little side note I also thought was interesting to learn was that the first public universities were in Michigan and Wisconsin.  I never knew that.


All in all, I felt this chapter was a little dramatic and intense. I get what they are saying and they are damn right that technology should be much more involved in schools. Schools need to branch out and step out of the traditional views and ways to better our future! We need to see a change and soon or else our school system will not be benefiting us in the levels it could! I don't believe that the school system will be thrown out the window anytime soon though. That's absurd, but definitely something to think about, yes.