De-schooling Society

[Chad Outten]

The 'mass production line' is a great analogy to describe the traditional school system. Students as the raw material and educators as the cogs in the machine working for a bureaucracy. For too long, many schools and universities have operated like this: farms and factories that produce clones of a pre-determined specification, fit for society.

It is refreshing to consider an educational system that is not bound by four walls. Learning can happen by anyone about anything, anywhere and anytime. On the same token, our learners must become the producers, not simply institutionalised consumers of knowledge. I believe, that we as educators, must facilitate opportunities for our learners to connect, communicate and collaborate to extend their cognitive potential, virtually speaking. Technology is the perfect catalyst to realise this potential.

Will we ever deconstruct the traditional role of schools and universities as physical entities, bound by systems, structures and controlling mechanisms? What are your thoughts?

[Varnika Kapoor]

The purpose of de-schooling any society would primarily be for providing quick jobs, so that people learn a skill and could earn from it. It also of course means that youngsters are given more of practical knowledge in any field. Learning is done more outside school than inside the four walls of very restrictive and over disciplined atmosphere. This could be stifling and could curb freedom. I do not know how technology, incorporating it would be connected with the term de-schooling. But maybe it is being used in this context here.

[Tom Hitt]

Tools like skype and elluminate will be a huge help in eliminating our addiction to "bricks and mortar" education, but the technology needs to be more reliable than it is right now. As for text, we're already there. Money currently spent on dead-tree materials (text books, paper) will now be funneled to providing all enrolled students with a computer (assuming they do not have access to one). It could be set up like a library loan program.