Will schools disappear forever?

As time moves forward, many are starting to assume that schools may become a thing of the past. It has become more apparent that, as technology rapidly advances, learning within schools are beginning to transform in order to incorporate more digitised features. As it turns out, the implementation of technology within education has now reformed various traditional aspects within conventional schools. Geoff Maslen’s article titled “The future of school” (August 26^th, 2013) states that schools will become different worlds within 10 years’ time, if it still exists. But, is this technological movement a good thing? Will this advancement affect our education system positively?

Kenway (1998) suggests that the Australian government has steered our schools towards a ‘free’ marketised manner, implying that school systems are merely investments in both human and political capital. If this is the case, then will the transformation of the conventional school into a virtual teaching institution be well received?

There has been much debate upon the legitimacy of these advancements within education. Many believe that it is inevitable; we are, and will, move in this direction regardless. In order to gain a much better understanding of this topic, we must view both positive and negatives aspects of technology’s growing role in education.

In terms of a positive viewpoint, many academics have studied other countries, and the results they have had regarding technology in education. “Blended learning”, which is when students learn both in class as well as online at home, is believed to become a growing aspect in Australian schools, as it has been in higher education over the last 20 years. This is believed to ensure the ‘capture’ of learning experiences at any time either at home or at school, as stated by John Baker (2013), CEO of Desire2Learn.com.

However, negatively this advancement in technology will may also detriment the quality of education. In Maslen’s article, he interviews Professor Selwyn from the University of London, who worries that virtual schooling may be a solution for governments to cut their spending on schools rather than use the technology to tackle problems within education. Using the example of iPads, Selwyn states:

“Many schools are investing in iPads for every student because it has been sold to them as a way of saving money. Which is crazy when you think of the short-term outlay on the technology with no evidence it will save money.”

Selwyn, 2013, SMH Article “The future of school”

Selwyn is also concerned with the growing ‘individualisation’ of learning where gradually, learning becomes coordinated by the student rather than the teacher. This view takes into account the distributional dimension of social justice in education as stated by Gerwitz (1998), where it is believed to be individualistic and focuses on how ‘goods’ is distributed to individuals in society for their own benefit.

So, while the idea of creating a virtual schooling institution may seem like a good one, there are many aspects that must be taken into account for this to happen. More trials must be taken before methods such as “blended learning” can be implemented into the Australian education system. If this technology was being used to provide a second-rate education rather than better quality learning, then a lot must be done to prevent it.

References:

1. Gewirtz, S. (1998). Conceptualizing social justice in education: mapping the territory. Journal of Education Policy, 13(4), 469-484
2. Kenway, J. (1998). Consuming children? Public education as a market commodity. In A. Reid (Ed.), Going public: Education policy and public education, (pp.47-56). Deakin, ACT: Australian Curriculum Studies Association.
3. Maslen, Geoff (August 26th 2013), "The future of school", Syndey Morning Herald, accessed 14th September: http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/the-future-of-school-20130822-2sdvz.html
4. Fitzsimmons, Whiteney (September 13th 2013) "Playing a big role", ABC News, accessed 14th September: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-13/technology-plays-a-huge-role-in-australian/4956508