Postman offers a couple of thought provoking concepts. One is that technology is presenting answers prior to the questions or problems, the “cart before the horse” dilemma. He delivers analogies to cruise control and power windows that are now standard items on vehicles to demonstrate the educational concern. It appears he supports that the design engineer is assuming that people want these luxuries. In discussions with some of my mechanically inclined friends, a frequent conversation includes the ease and reduced cost of repairing manual vs. power windows. Our discussions seem to transition to the automatic transmission and we share stories of greater longevity and gas mileage with manual transmissions. However, vehicles with these manual devices seem to have a solid position on the endangered species list, right along with the Michigan Bog Grasshopper. Are we afraid of missing the bus and embracing educational technologies as the solution without thoroughly defining the problem?
Another of his concepts is justification of schools as a source of human development. He concludes that more and more information seems to be the answer to the educator’s problem. He adds that the real answer is teaching how to assimilate, process, filter, and make sense of all this information. His debate reminds me of educational discussions about the advantages of home schooling to public or private schooling. He justifies that schools do and will continue to exist to develop social values and teamwork and the essential “something else” in life.
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