I
am actually quite impressed with Postman’s summary in this final chapter. He offers several good guidelines to
follow when we consider the role of technopoly in our world today. Although I agree with some of his
guidelines, I don’t necessarily agree with the specific ideas he ties into
them. Let me explain.
The
first guideline I agree with is that, in his words, we should be loving
resistance fighters. Basically, we
should hold fast to the truths and values our nations was established upon. I believe that we should always stay
grounded in our beliefs and not let things of this world overtake us.
Another
guideline I agree with is that school is a unique technology because it is
consistently evaluated and improved.
He also mentions how school is one place where students and others can
find meaning in this world, and that for this to happen, schools have to have
everything focus on a specific purpose.
I agree fully that education must all have a purpose, otherwise, what is
the point of all we do each day in the classroom? What ultimate goal are we working towards?
What
I don’t fully agree with is the purpose that Postman suggests which is to join
art and science into what he calls the “ascent of humanity”. (p. 187) If I was writing a book on this topic,
I would propose that all schools focus education on the purpose, “Our World
Belongs to God.” Everything we
teach and do should be done in
light of the fact that God created everything, and everything belongs to
Him. As we dig into different subjects,
we can try to understand some of the depth and interconnectedness of God’s
creation and stand in awe of what He has done. What overall purpose might you suggest if you were writing this book?
Under
this purpose, Postman suggests that we should focus on history being taught as
part of every subject, we should teach the philosophy of science, and that
every teacher should be a semantics teacher since we cannot separate language
from knowledge. Would you agree with this?
About
history, Postman says, “To teach the past simply as a chronicle of
indisputable, fragmented, and concrete events is to replicate the bias of
Technopoly, which largely denies our youth access to concepts and theories, and
to provide them only with a stream of meaningless events.” (p. 191) What are your thoughts about this statement? Do you agree?
Could this apply to other subject areas we teach?
I think Postman's over-all purpose for writing his book is to encourage all of us to use caution when consuming technology. It's really easy to become sucked into the technology brain drain and loose all track of time and purpose of what we are doing. It's really easy for me to spend hours on Pinterest without realizing it. I think it's a good thing for us to look at the wonderful world of technology through the skeptical eyes of Postman.
ReplyDeleteI found him to be TOO skeptical. I feel that he generally disregards the amazing advancements that technology has brought us. I agree that we need balance, however we have so many more options for meeting student needs with the assistance of technology. Students all over the world are connecting on personal level, special needs students are able to use technology as part of their inclusion programs, hesitant learners are motivated and engaged through the use of technology is assignments. Postman seems to be missing some of the amazing things that technology has brought to us. We are a culture that needs to focus on being more balanced - but not just with technology. We need balance in our homes, in our diets, in our work. Technology just seems to be one area where some people get swept away, but the benefits are more profound than in other areas where we lack balance.
ReplyDeleteI try to picture myself teaching a group of first graders the history of math or phonics. Hmmm, not sure how that would go over. But, I think Postman is grasping at another way to find meaning amidst all of this, and he is looking to history to give people a sense of meaning. On the other hand, I think there is some good in helping students to connect history to the present day.
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