2. Overall, my reaction to this book was very
positive. It has widened my thinking concerning
education and the path we are currently taking as a
society. I enjoyed learning where we have been and
where we are going in the American schooling system.
Regardless of technology skeptics, the learning
environment and the way we learn is changing.
Unfortunately, the world is moving at a faster pace than
our current education system and we must radically
change to meet the needs of our young people.
Reaction
3. It was very interesting to read about how our
current school structure came into being. This
provided me with a plethora of knowledge on how
instructional technology has changed over time. This
made me really understand how important technology
has become in the area of education and its endless
potential. Classrooms have already made great gains
in the use of technology. About 10-15 years ago,
there was minimal use in the technology development
for instructional purposes. Now, the majority of
current classrooms are equipped with interactive
whiteboards and student response systems.
4. The authors pointed out that technology advances are
not a substitute to teaching but a tool to help facilitate
the learning process.
The authors discussed how parents are starting
to take on more of a stronger role in their child’s
education. This is due to current innovations in
technology. Although this seems encouraging, there
are some issues that could potential be unfavorable.
Our society is already divisive along many lines and the
introduction of more individualized learning led by
parents, religious groups and other organizations might
further widen the gaps between groups.
5. Isolation could become a real problem as more and more
interaction comes in the form of electronic
communication and less face-to-face interaction.
The author’s seemed to be in favor of learning
that occurs outside of the traditional school setting.
Homeschooling, workplace learning, internet cafes, etc.
were all mentioned as non-traditional places to learn.
