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.
