WOW! Technology has come a long way since the early days. While I was helping some Senior Saints log on to a computer to check their email, I wondered if they ever thought that computers would be used as a main source of communication instead of writing letters or phoning.
In addition, I remember teachers mostly used overhead projectors and chalk boards to give notes. Now they use white boards and SmartBoards. I substitute taught in a pre-K classroom where the students interacted with a Smartboard. It made sense after I thought about it, but I couldn’t believe that pre-K students were able to interact with a SmartBoard with the help of the teacher. Who would have thought a few years ago that we would have access to this type of technology? We even have access to eBooks and can take classes online, something that I just learned about within the last five or six years.
On to the text for today and not trying to point out flaws or pick on a county, I came across a section stating that China is refocusing history textbooks from “wars, dynasties, and revolutions to economics, technology, social customs, and globalization.” While I can see some of the logic behind the reasoning for doing so, this statement made me wonder how much of future textbooks will leave out important historical facts, ideas and themes that are not only fundamental to ones understanding of local history, but also essential to an understanding of global history? How will they create textbooks that cover the important material while adding the current revolutions of today’s world? The sentence following this statement says that an author of new textbooks states that alterations, “‘reflect a sea of change in thinking about what students need to know…The goal of our work… is to make the study of history more mainstream and prepare our students for a new era.’” Also being able to see some reasoning behind this statement, however, by making textbooks cover what students “need to know” who is going to make the decision about what students “need” to know and will those decisions be skewed or based on a consensus? And by preparing them for a “new era”, will students inquire a schema that will be holistic in thought or skewed in some way?
In light of all these questions, I would like to hope these textbooks would integrate material and information that would allow students to learn skill sets needed to advance their personal knowledge in all areas,inclusive of technology, and apply them to advance the ever changing world in which they will live.
I had the same concern about the textbooks. As with many things, when we become concerned about being relevant to serve today's technological generation, we sometimes sacrifice the important information for a sleek design. I do think that it is important to look for new ways to present material because our world is changing, but we also need to remember that our students still need to learn quality material that is deeper than a damp napkin.
ReplyDeleteI really like all the questions you asked as well. I hope that the people on the education boards in China are asking the same questions as well. I especially like the question in regards to choosing relevant information "who is going to make the decision about what students 'need' to know and will these decisions be skewed or based on a consensus?" That is a great question! I think that is probably one of the best questions to ask when designing a textbook (or when choosing a textbook). I really appreciate your thoughtfulness!
I also appreciate the fudge. It was great! It tastes like my grandmother's, and she makes the best fudge in the world!
I would hope that the textbooks would encompass student knowledge in all areas, including technology but man cannot live by textbooks alone. If teachers do not integrate technology into history such as wikis or blogs then students do not have a chance to compete with the ever changing world in which they live. The teachers should always be the forefront of technology not the students. I understand that history is becoming globalized but I agree that students should still learn about where they came from not just where they are going. I believe that historians can have the best of both worlds but the only way to incorporate globalization into history is to get on the web and give students the ability to create and collaborate on history around the world. Thank you for your insightful comments which triggered comments from me that I would not have thought about before.
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