[Edu-sig] An OLPC comment ("Why Educational Technology Has Failed Schools")
Paul D. Fernhout
pdfernhout at kurtz-fernhout.com
Thu Jan 18 15:23:44 CET 2007
Bert-
Thanks for the kind words.
Well, I would not agree with everything he has to say, but I would expect
the Austrian Rudolf Steiner
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Steiner
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Steiner [auf Deutsch]
as the originator of the "Waldorf education" method
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldorf_schools
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldorf-P%C3%A4dagogik [auf Deutch]
might have written much in German? See here:
http://www.sab.org.br/steiner/biogr-eng.htm
From the English Waldorf link:
"Waldorf education (also called Steiner education) is based upon the
educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, and stems from his
spiritual/religious philosophy anthroposophy. [1] [2] This sees child
development as a process of the child's soul and spirit incarnating into a
developing living, physical organism.[3] Waldorf education emphasizes an
imaginative and holistic approach to education.[4] Spiritual values are
central both to the curriculum [5] and to the training of teachers.[6] [7]
[8] [9] Waldorf education is practiced in more than 900 [citation
needed]established independent private Waldorf schools located in about
sixty different countries, in "Waldorf-method" government-funded schools,
in homeschooling environments; and in special education."
Personally I'm not into Waldorf education as a big picture, but I like a
lot of the parts, especially their stand against media for young kids. I'd
say the same about the Montessori method too (the other big well known
alternative).
And then of course there is bablefish automatic translator,
http://babelfish.altavista.com/
though it is obviously an awkward mechanical translation:
http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=en_de&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johntaylorgatto.com
[That link translates a page on Gatto's site from English to German and
continues to translate as you click on links; it breaks sometimes]
See also:
http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=en_de&trurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.johntaylorgatto.com%2funderground%2findex.htm
http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=en_de&trurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.johntaylorgatto.com%2funderground%2ftoc1.htm
It's really interesting to at least try bablefish; it seems a miracle it
works at all; I've used it a couple of times for translating Spanish sites
about programming -- it's a funny experience to suddenly have such a site
in a different language make (some) sense..
All the best.
--Paul Fenrhout
Bert Freudenberg wrote:
> Am Jan 18, 2007 um 6:45 schrieb Paul D. Fernhout:
>
>> so no matter how cheap you made distributing a
>> diversity of text books or related educational materials, schools would
>> not want any but the standardized ones to be used at the standardized
>> times. The point of conventional schooling was then ansd still is to
>> produce a standard graded product, not amplify differences. As I
>> point out
>> in my previously linked essay
>> "Why Educational Technology Has Failed Schools"
>> http://patapata.sourceforge.net/
>> WhyEducationalTechnologyHasFailedSchools.html
>> computers linked to the internet have revolutionized just about every
>> area
>> of life today related to information access and education -- except,
>> ironically, schooling. I think there is a reason. Schools are *actively*
>> in the way of everything the better side of the world wide web
>> promises --
>> diversity, expression, disintermediation, innovation, etc.
>
>
>
> Hi Paul,
>
> I *very* much enjoy reading your thoughts on technology and education.
> I wish they were in German, to be able to show them to people here ...
> Do you know any German writer with similar views?
>
> - Bert -
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