Chapter 5: Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology

This Chapter, The Seeds of a New Education System, looks at the ways the American Education system has changed over the years. Although I always knew our education system had gone through many changes I had never really taken much thought to this before I read this chapter. In fact, there were some aspects of schooling brought up in this chapter I had never really thought about before. The chapter focused on homes schooling, workplace learning, distance education, learning centers, educational television and videos, computer based learning software, technical certifications, internet cafes, and lifelong learning. Before this chapter I had heard of learning centers but never really knew what they were. Another thing if found interesting is this chapter was the section on technical certifications. This another aspect of education I had never given much thought to. I had heard of GED’s about it. I didn’t know that companies like Microsoft and Crisco were giving out certifications. I have to say I disagree with the conclusion that these certifications are a threat to the current education system. I think in our society, the education we have in schools and colleges are still honored way too much for these types of certifications to be a threat. Perhaps, these certifications will be seen as a pro for some employers but I think a formal education, such as a high school diploma, will be valued more by employers than the certifications.

One of the things I plan to take out of this chapter and into my classroom is the idea of life-long learning. I believe that the goal of all teachers should be for their students to be life-long learners. I hope to teach my students things that will help them, not only in school, but in the rest of their lives as well.