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Carmen Tucker

Dr. Marcovitz

ET 690 Educational Technology Seminar

11 February 2019

Framework for Technology

As it is said we live in the technology age today, but what does that truly mean? We can

look back in the past and see how things have changed and how technology has shaped our

future, but the question is do we truly understand what this technology is. Not to be funny and

quote the Spiderman movie, “With great power comes great responsibilities”. In the age old

human quest for knowledge have we truly taken on this responsibility, or have we failed in our

attempts.

It is hard to give a specific story of technology to then include it as a subject to be taught

in school. In the book Postman talks about the reason for education and us as a society coming

up with a specific reason for education. Postman has given five possible reasons for education

and within those reasons the education of technology may have a meaning or said purpose. With

all things that are created to help, determining their purpose before their usage is an essential

need. When I think of technology it comes to mind that it is there for the advancement of

humanity as a whole with the purpose of making life easier for all those that are involved.

A great example to look at for me involving how technology is there to help us and make

life easier would be the introduction of the modern washing machine called the Thor released by

the Hurley Machine company of Chicago, Illinois. Previous to that clothes were washed by hand

using water that was possibly contaminated. Washing by hand and using lakes, rivers or dirty
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water to do so became a public health issue that helped to spread some of the well-known

diseases of the past. If this water was not first removed from its source then the whole source

became contaminated.

Washing clothes by hand was also very labor intensive. It was done by individuals, then

it became a paying job for those needing income. There were wash houses set-up where women

were employed to wash the clothes of those who brought their clothes in and could pay the fee.

At some point these wash houses were seen to be a statement of your status in society, a way of

showing your wealth because you were able to frequent them. From the wash house we got the

invention of the first washing machine in 1905 in which a tank was filled with hot water and the

clothes were washed using a lever and they then were wringed out between two rollers. From

this idea sparked the idea of the modern automatic washing machine that improved on the

process. Over the many years, there have been changes and improvements to the first modern

design of the washing machine.

We now have the electric washing machine that is more efficient and makes the process a

lot less labor intensive and much faster. Throughout the changes of the modern washing machine

we can all see the advantages of this, but with all the new upgrades to the washing machine there

is also the disadvantages. You can start with the loss of income for those who used it to survive.

You also have to look at the process that is used to make the modern washing machines. The

impact that it has on our environment and the mass use of resources to create this new

technological product. In the past I feel that they had forgone the effects that these things would

have on the environment because they were so excited about how it would make life better and

easier for society as a whole.

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Looking at the advantages and disadvantages of the modern washing machine as an

advancement in technology how would this fit into the story of education and it’s reasoning or

purpose for schooling. Which narrative of the reasoning for schooling would best fit the purpose

for the need of the modern washing machine? Does your reasoning or purpose change with the

inventions of new technology? Which then begs the question do you disregard technological

advances that then don’t fit the narrative that you have? Postman’s book has made me think long

and hard as a teacher about the meaning/purpose for schooling here in America.

We have heard the stories about schools and how they were set up around the harvesting

time and later to help with the training of workers needed for the industrial ages. So many

educator have talked about how our schooling system needs an upgrade or overhaul of what it

stands for in our society. Postman’s book, I feel is in line with this question. As an educator in a

very large school system we try to answer the question of are we truly preparing our students for

the future which is the current motto of the school system. When I think of this and try to break it

down into sections and parts that are more understandable, I feel as if their motto says that we

are a cookie cutter system that is supposed to meet the needs of thousands of individuals that we

can then say are college and or career ready.

As a teacher we are always told that we are to meet the students where they are and then

address their educational needs on an individual basis, but then you look at the school system

that you work for, who have a motto that doesn’t fit the individual but is made for the masses.

In reading Postman’s work addressing the quote on pages 192 and 193, his many words

have several complex meaning which completely validates the word weavers/world makers

reason/purpose for education. While reading this particular part of the book, it gave me so many

different things to think about. We as humans have evolved in so many ways that we don’t take
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the time to understand and appreciate the true meanings behind our rapid growth. Technology

has become a big part of our everyday life, but in hindsight we have lost track of the true

meaning and purpose behind technology. Postman’s quote means to me that technology as a

whole has its advantages and disadvantages and that it society's responsibility as a whole to set

the purpose for technological advancements so that they don’t increase the gap between the

haves and the have nots.

In Postman’s quote he addresses the question of how technology has used us and this

makes me think of technology as a person but in fact it is a thing. For all of the modern

technology advancements it is hard to understand how technology has used us. There is artificial

intelligence (A.I) but is it at the point of acting on its own and has this been the case with the

20th century technological advances? This brings to mind all of the fictional movies that deal

with A.I taking over and the human race becoming their slaves. If this is where we are headed,

how can we then prevent this? This can be through the process of making technology a core

subject that is taught in schools today. This acts as a means of prevention as we as a global

society take steps to define and set the purpose for our technological advances.

Is there an aspect of predicting the future possibilities in the education of technology, and

can we determine or look at all of the possible disadvantages of new technology upon its

inception? This is a real tall order for any person to take on and to then look at it as societal

responsibility asks a lot of each individual. We all know that so many of us don’t think alike and

it is hard for us to come to an mutual agreement even when it comes to our mutual destruction?

How can we go about first agreeing that there is in fact a problem? An example that comes to

mind is the question of global warming and the destruction of planet and the resources that we

use to survive. The scientific community has long since brought up the issues of global warming
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and how in time it will destroy the planet and what we need to do now to prevent this from

happening. Those who are contributing and benefiting from the things that contribute largely to

global warming don’t want to see an end to their profits and they lobby to stop any changes that

will be made to prevent earth’s destruction.

In this instance we must have a shared idea of a shared responsibility to come up with a

solution that benefits us all. This is why we have to come up with a reason for our technological

advances and understand that there needs to be a clear purpose for the implementation of the

education of technology. Our shared understanding of the purpose can then lead us to clearly

defined outline that can be used to teach technology education in our schools. This can all begin

with a think tank to come up with the purpose, an understanding of where we would like to go

with the technology that we have and how we can make improvements to that technology.

If we start out with all technology having a designed purpose then this can elevate some

of the disadvantages that arrive from new technology. When we look at the use of smart boards

in our school systems this is one of the technologies that we can eliminate the disadvances. In

order to do this we must first have smart boards in every classroom. Once the smart boards are in

every classroom we must then train all who are involved in the education of our students on how

to use the new technology. These smart boards are an aide in the learning of our students and

with every student having access to the smart board there are no disadvantages. There are some

of our students who don’t venture outside of where they live and during the course of learning

new things they are not able to visualize what they don’t know or have any idea of. With this

technology these different places can be brought to the student in the classroom.

There are many programs that are used for students in the schools today and technology

plays a big part in these programs. Another piece of technology that we use in our school are
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Chromebook personnel computers. Having student have access to information when they need it

is very important to their educational grow. As Postman states, we what to have this technology

as a way for students to begin to ask questions, not just find the answer to questions. With the

use of personal computers you give students access to some of the social things out there that can

then be used as a disadvantage. But as we do with websites if we start with an application for a

specific purpose and only give the students access to that specific application this can be a start

to combating the disadvantages.

If we can look at all things from a critical point of view and determine the meaning and

direction of what we are trying to accomplish globally, we can then set a purpose and meaning

for education to include technology education. In conclusion the idea that technology is in itself

an entity that uses its creators instead of the other way around, I hope doesn’t come to be. It

would be sad and tragic to know that the things of the movies; Terminator, and The Matrix is

what this world is headed to. If we can as a society set up a purpose and meaning for education

we can then come up with a clearly defined technology education that would address the

concerns of our growing technology society. We must understand at this time that there is a need

to establish fully what the parameters are for the technology that we have and what when then be

done with inclusion of new technological advances. But right now as a society do we recognize

or even understand that this is a problem? Have we reached the go/no go limit as of yet, or do we

have time to make the changes to prevent the possible overhaul of the human society by the

technologies that we have created? I sincerely hope

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References

Postman, N. (2011). The end of education: Redefining the value of school. Vintage.