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Welcome to Laurie Goodman's blog. I use this space to share news and opinions about education and schools in Ridgewood, the state of New Jersey and the nation, in addition to other issues I'm personally interested in. I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, questions or opinions, too, by posting comments on any blog entry. Please observe basic courtesy -- keep your comments focused on issues, no personal attacks or bullying, please. Contact me directly at: lauriegood@mac.com

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology.

In a year-end wrap-up of education stories from Columbia Teachers College, I read a review of a late 2009 book titled, Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology. The most notable paragraph gave me food for thought:
The book systematically reveals a compelling picture of the “seeds of a new system of education” that are being sown all around us. The explosive growth of home schooling, workplace learning, distance education, learning centers, educational TV, videos and software, and Internet cafes are testimony not only to technology’s expanding role in learning, but also the new ways, venues, paradigm, and ages for and of learning. The authors argue that these, coupled with the mechanics of a global information economy, are ushering in the third era of education after the apprenticeship and universal schooling eras. Distinct shifts are the defining elements of the critical transformations in all three of these eras. Responsibility shifts from parents to the state to individuals and parents once more, thus seemingly completing a virtuous cycle of evolution; expectations shift from social reproduction to success for all to individual choice; content shifts from practical skills to disciplinary knowledge to learning how to learn; pedagogy shifts from apprenticeship to didacticism to interaction; location shifts from home to school to anywhere.
Such a fascinating time for schools. I'll add this to my (huge) "to read" list.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

More hooey.....

Laurie said...

Hmmm. Would you care to elaborate?