Chapters 1 and 2 of "Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology" pose several great points and questions. I feel the first question I can ask myself after reading is, 'Is Education effected in a positive or negative way by technology?' While there is evidence for both sides of the argument, I feel there really is no clear cut answer. However, I do have a strong opinion for the positive things it can do for education. First, it can help develop communication and collaboration skills for students, through activites like a classroom blog. Also, it can help teachers form unity within the classroom, keeping students, parents, and administrators all on the same page together. Although technology puts a positive effect on these aspects of teaching, I feel that there is one thing that should be made clear about technology in education: It assists in teaching, but does not replace it. Technology should be used as a tool to help students learn, but not be the only source of student learning.
I believe there are various positive effects of technology in education, but there are consequences as well. For instance, advanced technology will tempt both students and teachers to mulitask, and their focus will be hindered as a result. This is especially an issue at the high school and college level of schooling. Also, as mentioned above, teachers may rely too heavily on technology, and use it as a 'replacement' to teaching and learning. Through all the pros and cons of technology, it may take a few decades for our society to come to a consensus of whether technology is a good or bad influence on education. There are plenty of advocates and skeptics, so it will be very interesting to see how technology's influence plays out in the coming years.
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