Praxable Revisionist History and the Myth of the Fourth Wave.
Whether the world (or our educational system) can benefit from another revolution is not yet certain. Yet one thing is sure: while technology and the blurring of boundaries may have disrupted the traditional education system of today, the traditional education system was not broken.
Schools are fundamentally educational, serving to further children’s learning by helping them acquire new concepts or acquire new skills. Like any educational institution, the solution to the harmful elements in schooling, as much as the problem of those elements, is not to eliminate them but to find the best way to address them. If schools are educational institutions, then focusing on improving their structures and curricula is a wise move. And they are certainly not too late to start making positive changes. For example, schooling is still a human-centric approach to learning.
Teachers still exist as the intermediary between children and their education. School environments still shape children’s physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth. There is still an emphasis on personal development and learning that is not tied to age or ability. For the most part, schooling focuses on developing skills for future employment.
Technology can certainly help us address a lot of these issues. In education, a precious tool, in particular, is the video and other interactive media. The time in which a teacher in the classroom held a book and a pen while reading aloud to students is nearly over. Using technology allows educators to expand the scope of what they can teach their students. It may lead to discovering new teaching methods that traditional textbooks have not necessarily explored. Technology can and should be used in education to help students gain a more well-rounded understanding of the world and to foster a deeper appreciation for the “human experience.”
Much has been written in the popular press and on the internet about the recent “Fourth Wave of Education.” Many of these innovations promise that by 2030 the average American will be able to work from anywhere on Earth thanks to new technologies. This wave is often thought to be driven by “disruptive innovation,” the concept that new and better technology will break through the existing system and lead to better, more equitable education. The theory is that traditional education systems are too slow and antiquated. In many cases, it also implies that the current educational system is designed to benefit those currently in power. We know that is not always the case, but considering the “skewed reality” that the Third Wave revolution has produced is worth considering.
It succeeded if the revolution was driven by a desire to disrupt the status quo. With the advent of the Internet and online technology, the divide between education and the business world has closed significantly. The Internet has transformed what people expect from education and how they can interact with it. In the classroom, students have greater access to the Internet than ever before. At school events and events at school, teachers are less likely to use PowerPoint, flashcards, or student assessment than they were in the past. We no longer rely on pencils, textbooks, or tests. We use technology to develop skills, connect, and learn from each other.
That said, even though we have many ways to access and participate in education, the reality is that millions of people still lack access to it. This is not due to a lack of effort on the part of educators, nor is it due to a lack of funding. A straightforward way to address this issue is to provide technology to schools and teachers in developing countries.
