Subject: Re: Carl Sagan and our discussion
From: tom abeles (tabeles@tmn.com)
Date: Wed 05 Apr 2000 - 17:37:04 MEST
Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 10:37:04 -0500 From: tom abeles <tabeles@tmn.com> Subject: Re: Carl Sagan and our discussion
List address to send message to everyone: ifets-discuss@LISTSERV.READADP.COM
Details of current discussion: http://ifets.ieee.org/discussions/discuss.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ania Lian wrote:
Re-reading this passage after Sagan's book had been shown to me by one of
our postgraduate students, I thought: what is the task of education? Is it
to instill knowledge or to instill the need for knowledge? How can this be
done in ways that do not leave this goal to a chance of having parents
capable of so doing? Talking about technology: sure it can facilitate
things. Question is though: how can we tell what is it that it does
faciliate?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Indeed, as I have said previously, technology "calls" the question. what, indeed,
is the purpose of education? The technology called a "resident college campus"
is, in part a reflection of our conception of what society is/should/could be and
what education's roll in this matrix might be. Like Michaelangelo's Pieta, it
emerges from the stone in the image of the sculptor. That "clay" of bits and
bytes and chips renders itself in the image of those who build the technology
whether it is a "general purpose" computer or a dedicated instrument. It is a
creature of time/space and culture
The passage from Sagen that Ania quotes becomes interesting because Sagen was
what he was because of that experience and who he was. Another person was crushed
by the same experience and a third is one of the myriad of gray flannel suits or
tweed jacketed academics in Eliot's Prufrock. Sagen was recognized in his life
time, others only after their death. Not all of us were created equal and none of
us walks the same path. Technology whether it is hardware, software or wetware
wrapped up in an "education" cover is not the great leveler any more than the
six-gun was for the US west. "Creativity" is as much a model as rote
memorization. Their value is dependent on time/space. In all systems, some will
flourish and others will drown no matter whether we use IQ, EQ or international
honors as the measure.
Yes, Ania asks the "hard question". What is more dangerous, the release of the
atom via nuclear science or playing with the future of humans with educational
"technology". Can we say "Its not my job?"
thoughts?
tom abeles
---------------------------------------------------------
Forum website: http://ifets.ieee.org/
Forum's contact person: kinshuk@massey.ac.nz
Info on Join/Leave List: http://ifets.ieee.org/maillist.html
---------------------------------------------------------
This archive was generated by hypermail 2a24 : Thu 06 Apr 2000 - 00:54:58 MEST