4. Technology, Schooling & Society

Date Taken: Spring 2010 | Grade: B+ | GPA: 3.33

Highlighted Class Work:

Teaching Change: click here

Examples of Practical Use Outside of Class:

Recently connected with an Italian educator, and got to talk about the differences and similarities of training between the two counties.

Archive of work from class:

Google Collection: click here
Diigo: Tag 1: click here
Diigo: Tag 2: click here

Course Readings:

UVM Description:

This course explores the influences of technology on schooling and society. Using sociological, historical, and philosophical frameworks, course participants will consider ways that the proliferation and use of information technologies presents both challenges and opportunities for teachers, learners, and community members. With a particular focus on changing roles due to information access, this course examines issues of equity, cultural diversity, student empowerment, community relationships, and the transformation of traditional schooling practices

ID: EDFS 200

Instructor: Colleen MacKinnon

Syllabus: click here (Requires Permission)

Orwell (1945). “Poetry and the Microphone”.
Lenski (2005). “Determinants of the Characteristics of Individual
Societies”.
Martin, J. (2007) “Cappuccino Socio-Cultural U” (2007).
Martinotti, G. et al. (2007) “The Human Web”
Prensky, M. (2001). “Digital Natives”
“The District School & Noah Webster’s United States”
“Horace Mann & the Common School Crusade”
Dewey, J. (1937). “Education & Social Change”
Cronon, W. (1998). Only Connect: The Goals of Liberal Education
“Plessy & Beyond – Separate but Equal Doctrine”.
Kozal, J. (1995). Amazing grace: [excerpt].
Garcia. (2005). “Rural-Urban Divide”.
Crawford. (2005). “The Computerized Academy”
“Education or Training: Reflections of a Life in Computing”.
Dubois, W. E. B. (1908/ 1973). “Galileo Galilei” In The education of black people:
Counts (1932). “Dare the Schools Build a New Social Order?”
Illich, I. “Deschooling Society”
Freire, P. chapter of Pedagogy of the Oppressed, pp. 87-94.
Gardner (2003). “M.I. After Twenty Years”
Bowker. "Network Creativity and Digital Culture"
Ito. "Technologies of the Childhood Imagination: Media Mixes, Hypersociality, and Recombinant Cultural Form"
J. Dewey (1897, January). My pedagogic creed.
J. Dewey (1916). Ch. 6: Education as conservative and progressive.
Freire & Macedo (1998). Literacy: Reading the word and the world.
Apple. “The Hidden Curriculum And The Nature Of Conflict”.
Isaac Leon Kandel, Prospectus
Hirsch, selection.
Ogbu, J. (1992). “Adaptation to Minority Status and Impact on School Success” pp. 54-61.
Boesenberg. “Privatizing Public Schools: Education in the Marketplace”
Nieto (2002/03). "Profoundly Multicultural Questions"
Gladwell, M. (2009). “What The Dog Saw”, selection.
Sack, W. (2005). “Discourse Architecture and Very Large-scale Conversation”.
Thompson (2005).
Ribble, Bailey, (2005, April). Developing ethical direction.
Szente, Judit (2006, Feb). Technology in Ethiopian schools”.
Pocha (2005).“China’s Other Great Wall”. Utne
Audio file: On The Media – Wall Space

What? So What? Now What? Reflection Script:

My name is Bjorn Behrendt and this is my course reflection for Technology, Schooling & Society, that I took the Spring of 2010

The class had me look at technology integration from a much different perspective than I was use to. The professor had us read several articles like Prensky's "Digital Natives" (Prensky, 2001) and Garcia's "Rural-Urban Divide" (Garcia, 2005), but the author that stood out the most for me was J. Dewey (Dewey, 1937), not necessarily because his content was groundbreaking, but rather he was highlighting integration issues that we are having today back in the early 1900's.

Having only worked in Vermont, I have not been exposed to other societies and the issues they face. An example of understanding that I got from this class was by learning about Vermont's own challenges when phones were introduces, it helped me better grasp the current issues pertaining to offering broadband internet throughout the state.

A common concept between all my masters classes has been Prensky's idea of digital natives and digital immigrants, and in the context of society I was able to grasp an even stronger understanding of this, which has helped me differentiate my teaching methods between students (digital natives) and professional development to teachers (often digital immigrants).

I have recently began offering online training through webinars. My understanding of societal differences are playing a key roll as I am now working with many different types of people around the world. Being aware of possible differences, and applying that knowledge to my presentations I believe is a key factor in the providing quality content that everyone can relate to.

A concept that was not taught during the class, but I was able to formulate based on what I learned was a the idea of Teaching Change. Teaching Change is about training people to adapt to change as a skill which can be honed with practice. The goal is to remove the anxiety that comes when changes happen allowing people to innovate quicker.

Thank you and have a good day.

References:

Prensky, M. (2001). “Digital Natives”
Garcia. (2005). “Rural-Urban Divide”
Dewey, J. (1937). “Education & Social Change”

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