Issac Asimov foreseen a future education system that would see technology enslaved to traditional teaching methods. The schoolgirl in his story, 'The Fun they Had' comes home from school complaining that she was bored with her day at school. Her 'robot teacher' had been teaching her something that had been pre-programmed. No thought of what the girl knew, what her experiences were and what her needs were it seems. Constructivism destroyed by an empiricist vessel filling prediction.
At the industry panel at Handheld Learning Ray Maguire, MD Sony Entertainment has just said that in the future computers will be teaching teachers how to teach. Is Sony's vision of education similar to the constricted, choking world of Asimov prediction.
A slip of the tongue or a lack of understanding ...let's ask him.
Update: didn't get a chance to ask him my question but he the Sony MD managed to get himself really in a mess with the 'teaching audience'. He glibly stated that the future with technology was all about content...again an empiricist view of the teaching and learning process. Just fill them up with what we know and what we want learners to learn. At this he caused almosr uproarius dischord from the floor. This was manifested in one chap who gave him a finger wagging about how the Sony MD did not understand learning. Particulalry constrcutivist approaches.
The Sony PSP is a superb device with bags of potential in in supporting and creating teaching and learning contexts but this was an unfortunate gaffe today that did not reflect too well on how Sony perceive their place in education.
To redeem Sony go and have a look at Loco Roco.:)
Have a look at what Ewan has to say about this and marvel at his Sony logo mock(ery)-up!
Comments