The Digital Revolution And Schooling In America

Book Review: Rethinkng Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schooling in America

Alison Shrive

Many people are questioning our educational system and wondering what direction it is going. Long gone are the days where there were just private and public schools, parents now have options. Some of the changes in education are the educational options, state testing, curriculum and technology. Allan Collins and Richard Halverson’s (2009) Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schooling in America have presented a variety of viewpoints in regards to the future of technology in education and how education must change, or our schools are going to be left behind. While reading I begin to

question myself and our educational system. Are educators ready for this change? What can I do as a school counselor to support this educational transformation? Are we providing our students with the best opportunities?
Our world is going through a new revolution, known as the Knowledge Revolution as presented in Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schooling in America. As Collins and Halverson (2009) stated, “we are now going through another revolution on the same scale as the Industrial Revolution, and is fueled by personal computers, video games, the internet, and cell phones” (p. 4). The days of having to go to the library to research information are gone. With cell phones, computers and tablets, people now have access to information at their fingertips. This is now causing the way teach information to our students to change.
As educators, we must start making changes in the ways we teach, and how students learn.

Technological advances are already happening all over the world, even if the school is resistant to the changes. Collins and Halverson believe “as a society, we need to understand how new technologies turn kids and adults on to learning, in order redesign our learning environments to provide positive motivational experiences for all” (p. 133). When stakeholders of a school schoolsite are resistant to change, the students are the ones missing out on learning experiences. Our educational leaders must rethink what knowledge and skills are critical for our youth, in order for them to become valuable contributors to

society.
A question many may think is, where do we go from here? As a school counselor, I believe we need collaborate with teachers, administrators and parents to provide more options for our students. Our youth has the ability to be so much more, but they may be held back by the educational system, because our schools may not be changing as fast as the technological world. Education is changing, and we must adapt. “The curriculum is shifting toward right-brained and technological learning outcomes” (Menon, Nicholson & Roukoz, 2014). We must find a way to connect with the students who are bored or disconnected. As stated in Collins and Halverson, “Changing these deeply ingrained attitudes about learning will mean changing both the process of teaching and learning” (p. 131).
As Menon, Nicholson and Roukoz (2014) stated “Technological competency is the ability to directly apply knowledge by technological means. This includes basic uses of technology such as writing an essay in Microsoft Office, to more advanced uses such as manufacturing a product with a 3D printer. These skills are foundational to succeeding in our technology-driven society”. This supports the idea of Collins and Halverson, that technology in the workforce has been taken to the next level and it is our job to prepare our youth. We need to stop being being ten steps behing, rather start being ten steps ahead. Technology in Education supports this by stating, “to begin with, schools are forever playing technological catch up as digital innovations emerge that require upgrading schools’ technological infrastructure and building new professional development programs” (2011, “Technology in Education”).
A good portion of Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schooling in America.

As Collins and Halverson (2009) focuses on the history of education and currently where we could go with education and technology. One thing I do believe the book lacks is suggestions on how we can improve education and support every child. In the article, Technology in Education, it touches on the importance of technology infrastructure, research, E-learning, mobile computing, social networking and how they are creating advances, opportunities, as well as difficulties in education and how we can reach each individual. Not one child learns the same, and we must modify our teaching strategies to the individual rather than the individual adapting to the teacher.

Overall, I do believe Collins and Halverson give supporting details to past models of education and make it clear that education is not going to be staying the same. Our society must accept and support these advances in technology and education. Government agencies and administrators must work together to create educational opportunities that supports all types of learners and learning

communities.

References

Collins, A., & Halverson, R. (2009). Rethinking education in the age of technology: The Digital Revolution and Schooling in America. New York: Teachers College Press.
Editorial Projects in Education Research Center. (2011, September 1). Issues A-Z: Technology in Education. Education Week. Retrieved September 20, 2015 from
http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/technology-in-education/.
Menon, Naveen, Fouad Roukoz, and Joel Nicholson. "Rethinking K-12 Education - Defining a New Model - Paper - A.T. Kearney - A.T. Kearney." Rethinking K-12 Education. N.p., May 2014. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.