Rethinking Education: Chapter 7

     This chapter really made me think about the future society and education. It is hard to imagine what the future will hold for us and what new technologies will come about in the next 10, 20, or even 30 years. I think that technology and society will change in the future, and I think that it is important that we, in the field of education, also adapt and change with society and technology. This chapter talked a great deal about the digital divide, and I do worry about the digital divide that will be created as society and technology continue to progress. I think that with advancing technology, there will be a difference in the availability and ease of access of such technology for all people; however, I can also see the vast opportunities and resources that advancing technology could create.
    
     On a more positive note, I believe that education will be much more engaging and personalized in the future, with more technology. Learning will be more customized to meet the individuals needs, interests, or abilities, which I believe can be a very powerful and motivating thing. I also like the idea of accessing knowledge at anytime and anywhere. I think that, for those who have computers and the internet readily available, technology can only mean more useful and to the point learning. Along with this idea, I think that it is a real shame that technology is not readily available for all people. What will happen to our society as technology progresses and the digital divide widens? I think that this is a rather scary concept to consider.
    
     As a future educator, I hope to provide my students ample time to use technology and access technology. I will need to consider the fact that some or even perhaps most of my students may not have computers or the internet readily available at home. I will need to provide sufficient computer time for my students, so that if I assign something that requires the use of technology, my students will equally have the necessary equipment and time to complete the assignment. On a similar note, the chapter discussed the competition found in public education today; I hope that as a teacher, I will promote a learning environment that encourages all students to learn. I think that there is no way to completely avoid competition, but I feel that if I make learning more individualized and help my students see the importance of lifelong-learning, they will not desire to be so competitive. I think that competition can be avoided, somewhat, by the way that a teacher sets up homework assignments and classroom rewards; if students are not compared to one another on homework assignments, but rather compared to their own progress, I feel that they will be less competitive.