My Thoughts on Chapter 5 of "Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology"

One thing that I felt very strongly about in this chapter was the topic of home schooling. Although I am still completely against the idea of home schooling, I did learn a few new things about this topic. To begin with, I always truly thought that students who were home schooled would have much lower test scores than those students who actually went to a school; I was proved very wrong in this chapter. It was very surprising to me to learn that students who were home schooled actually did better on standardized testing than those students who were not home schooled. This has impacted my thinking about technology because it has showed me how helpful it is in other areas of life. The chapter stated that many parents who home school their children may not have degrees or may not feel confident or “smart” enough to teach their children. Therefore, many home schooled families rely on computer based programs. This has shown me that technology can be very beneficial to education of students. At the same time, I still don’t feel as though children should be home schooled. Students who are home schooled may have better test scores, but how do they stand in comparison when the social aspect is brought into the picture? Sending our children to school is one of the BEST ways to encourage & motivate students to be social with their peers. They are encouraged to work with other students in & outside the classroom. There was a quote that really struck me from this chapter & it read “Home-schooled children are likely to pursue different topics that reflect their cultural values, and communication between different groups may become more difficult.” If we are encouraging communication between our children, why would we home school them & take that huge advantage away?

    Something that I will do differently as a direct thought of this new knowledge will be that I will be very conscious of how & when I use technology. Although I am having a blast learning about the various technological advances that are available in our society, I am also learning about how it can be harmful to the social aspects of our environment. I will make sure to include technology into my classroom, but I also plan to continue to use simple classroom activities that have been used for years. I plan to have my students get in groups in the classroom to discuss topics, rather than just have them do everything digitally. I also plan to play active games in my classroom & have my students truly get to know each other. This chapter has had a great impact on me in the sense that it has truly made me reflect on what I feel is the most important aspect of my classroom & I feel as though that important aspect is the social aspect. I want my students to learn & become knowledgeable, but one of the biggest ways children do so is through their peers.