Ch. 4

Reading chapter 4 gave me a great insight to how school and education began and has progressed. I found it to be quite remarkable how we are able to compare the shift from apprenticeship to universal schooling and the transformation that schools are undertaking today. After reading this chapter I have created the opinion that the shift between the two situations are slightly different. I believe that the shift from education being the parent’s responsibility to being a formal school environment is a much greater as well as gradual shift in society rather that the technology integration, which has been seen to be much faster and discrete. While others believe that technology is interrupting the classrooms environment I suggest that it is only helping. I cannot comprehend how the switch of a smart board from a chalkboard interrupts the curriculum. I believe that it only makes teaching and learning come at a greater ease. The problems that I see with it are centralized in the controversy that has been developed by skeptics. Educators and policymakers have begun a separation as they take different sides of this debate. This controversy has only created a sense of competition between schools and is resulting in certain school districts who are behind in education standards of where they could be.
The ultimate purpose of education is to teach students and prepare them for the future in a most beneficial way. The future of these students is centralized more now than ever around technology. Since children today live in a technology based society that it is only continuing to grow, and the goal of educators is to prepare them for this world, it only makes sense that technology would be a major part of their schooling. As a teacher I intend to do my best to help my students have the most beneficial learning atmosphere. This will include as much technology that will be developmentally appropriate and beneficial yet still appropriate to their learning experiences.