Book Review/Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography:

Collins, A. and Halverson, R. (2009). Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schooling in America. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

The authors of Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schooling in America, do not necessarily advocate or go against new technologies for use within the classroom. They instead discuss the educational past and what had led up to the era of today known as the Knowledge Revolution. They discuss the various inconsistent methods between school and technology as well as bring up information that pushes towards the need for consistent change in education in order to match the consistent change in the economy. They heavily discuss previous eras and the schooling and learning that came from those eras and how they impact the schooling of today, including technology. They also discuss the different ways that learning takes place in this new era including, home schooling, online school, learning centers, etc. and parallel this to the old way of one-room classrooms. In addition, they discuss both the losses and gains that technology brings into the education system. One thing they note is the learning and schooling are not the same though they are often treated as such. Towards the conclusion of their book, the authors talk heavily about students taking ownership of their learning and how much personal accountability impacts their own learning.

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A Quick Review from me:

A major highlight in Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schooling in America by Collins and Halverson is their chapter on the new ways of schooling. They discuss how learning and schooling are not the same. They discuss how students learn differently and how traditional schooling has changed in order to fit the needs of the students. I found it interesting that “Children who are schooled at home score significantly better on standardized tests in every subject” (Collins, 2009, p. 66). The main factor here was a passion and deep care for the child’s education. The authors also discussed other ways of learning including workplace learning, distance education, adult education, learning centers, educational tv and videos, computer-based learning software, technical certifications,and internet cafes. I was overwhelmed by the amount of ways that people are learning these days! All of these in combination can lead to lifelong learning. This learning is at a global level and cultures are developing and changing due to the changes that have emerged from technology. Overall, I feel as though this book does a good job of talking about both the positives and negatives that come with every changing technology. I give this book a THUMBS UP.