What may be lost and what may be gained

This chapter made me think about all the new dilemmas that will arise in education and society because of our technological advancement.  Its scary to think that in the future many children could be left behind because they can’t afford the technology or individualized education.  Not only is this one factor that could develop, but without our standard education system, it will become even more challenging for immigrates and minorities to become a part of our American culture.  Our educational system is a means for students to interact with others and learn about each other’s difference.  Without this, students will begin to become more and more socially incompetent.  The chapter mentioned how more kids may develop depression because they will begin to feel lonelier without as much interaction.  This is one topic that I am especially worried about because a child’s self-esteem and motivation is so crucial to their learning and simply living to their fullest.  I feel that this also may develop because as students begin to study only their topic of interest, many will disregard even learning about liberal arts.  This knowledge helps people become more aware of other cultures and helps us understand different viewpoints.  Becoming more whole people, we can work together more efficiently as a society, with this information. 

                As a future teacher, I do think we should make strides in helping everyone have some contact with technology.  The one laptop per child movement would be great because I see the importance of having laptops in the classroom.  I would love to have students write reflections about class, post assignments/projects, and begin typing as soon as possible.  This would be very challenging without computers in each classroom or trying to share them between hundreds of students.  I also think technology could be great, in that, it could remove the competition between students in the classroom.  I feel that if technology becomes even bigger, there will be less pressure put on teachers to record grades and spend more time teaching about the more important things happening in students’ lives.  Without the pressure on students as well, they won’t feel like it is a chore to learn and can find more joy in the education.  This is especially true because without the burden of grades, teachers can complete more projects and hands-on activities that allow the students to have more fun and learn while doing it.  Another positive in that the students will be more engaged and this influences the amount of behavioral issues that teachers have to waste time dealing with.   Students will be so excited to be at school that they won’t become bored and cause trouble allowing the teacher to spend more time with the students.