My reaction to this video was a bit in hindsight because I could tell the material was a bit outdated, but even so I have a few opinions. In regards to the school in silicon valley, it kind of struck me that the principal and students thought their program was such a trendsetter. Yes it was probably way ahead of the curve in terms computer technology and the skill development needed to be successful in the technology industry. But to me it seemed so one-dimensional in that the students were constantly surrounded by computer technology and computer programs. It seemed like a factory spitting out computer programmers (something the video brought up) but little of anything else. If you are one of the very select few young adults who know what your future profession will be then yes a school tailored exactly to that subject would be great. For many of us though I believe it is a good idea to be exposed to all sorts of ideas and concepts, not just those of computers. So in that regard it is trend-setting in the short term, but in terms of the big picture, does this type of school create different types of jobs and people like we want our culture to have? No it doesn't.
This video did portray the idea of a digital divide, in terms of those at technology high are much more educated in the realm of computers, compared to those at the inner city high school. The video did follow what we have been talking about in class in terms of class and affluence. It was obvious with some of the people in the video of minority background their school experience was much less technologically orientated than some of the others who went to more affluent and less diverse schools. I know from my personal experience that a happy medium between the two seems to be the best option in terms of integrating technology in the school curriculum while still teaching the standard basics of education. Throughout elementary school we had "computer lab" once a week, and in high school it was required to take computer classes in order to graduate. This I believe incorporates the best of both worlds.
I didn't really think about the amount of technology at Cedra's school as being a disadvantage until I read your post, but I can definitely see that point of view. It doesn't seem like it would be beneficial to students to only have one main scholastic focus at a time in their life when they should be finding out who they are and where their interests lie. I've never met anyone that followed through with EXACTLY the plan that they had for themselves in high school, and I agree with your point that students should be exposed to all sorts of concepts. The curriculum at Cedra's school seems more like a set of college classes, and in high school I think students should have a more diverse set of classes. Thanks for the insight!
ReplyDeleteI thought about the dangers of only emphasizing technology as well, but I didn't realize right away that the principal seemed to think that. Now that you mention that, though, it's true. They seemed to think that their type of school would become more prevalent or be more important in the future, which doesn't really seem to have happened.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with you that the "happy medium" is very important. My high school placed a big emphasis on English, but that wasn't all that was important. We had to take classes in each area offered in order to graduate. Like you said, I think that's the best way to do things.