February 27, 2005

     This article discusses some of Seymour Papert’s ideas that I find very interesting. I like Papert’s idea of how learning needs to be based on the student learning the information when they need to use it. He talks about how students are taught certain topics or concepts on certain days because that is when some other body has said that students will learn that. It may be a while before students are able to use that information or are even ready to use it. So with technology, students can drive their own learning. They can learn about different concepts as it relates to the other things they are learning.

     I think the idea of the computer leading to a disconnectedness within the family is a concern of most people whether they realize it or not. The computer can be used as a source of entertainment, such as for playing games, watching movies, and instant messaging. The TV can allow for multiple viewers at a time to enjoy its purpose. With the computer, it is nearly the same thing. Only with instant messaging is there more of an interactive environment. Even with the instant messaging the operator is highly unlikely to be communicating with someone else in the family. Generally they are having conversations with multiple friends. The fear of a greater degree of disconnectedness is present but whether or not it actually leads to great disconnectedness is ultimately up to the family. How the family uses the computer and other technologies will determine how the family adapts to the changing environment of the home and technology.

     I find Papert’s idea about the change the educational system may take in the future to be very interesting. I have never thought about how computers will change the dynamics of education on a larger scale. It is a very strange idea to think that my children or my grandchildren may walk into a school building and sit in front of a computer for seven hours a day. But this also dependent on the fact if school facilities are found to be necessary. Students may wake up in the mornings and go sit in front of a computer in their bedroom and attend “school” there. The idea of students congregating to a central location and learning from human teachers may be a strange thought for future generations.

     If this scenario were to become a reality, how does that affect the positions of educators. I am studying to become a teacher. Will there be a need for teachers in the future? If there are teachers, how will the styles of teaching change within the educational system?

     Technology is definitely changing the face of education. And how these changes will affect other aspects of human life and learning is hard to see. It is difficult to predict the changes that will occur because we are entering a new frontier. Nobody knows how technology is going to be adapted for other uses and how it will be used in the future. It is a game of waiting and trying to adapt as necessary.