Education Development & Reform
Education reform, development & technology in education. As our societies become more technologically-oriented, reforms must be made in education and new programs must be developed to meet modern needs. Students who once needed only reading, writing and arithmetic to be able to succeed cannot acquire the necessary skills to survive in a modern, technological world without a more advanced education. In addition, the quality of education in many schools has declined as increased population pressures overwhelm the existing system. New plans for education must be developed, and old systems reformed to fit modern needs. To discover what is being done, examine the links below.
AEL.org: Craig Howley and Bruce Barker: ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools: National Information Infrastructure: Keeping Rural Values and Purposes In Mind
Article by Craig Howley and Bruce Barker suggests that rural schools have a role to play in their communities and should move slowly on changes.
Connected Family: Seymour Papert: Bridging the Digital General Gap
A companion site to 'The Connected Family: Bridging the Digital Generation Gap', written in 1996 by leading learning theorist Seymour Papert.
Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs, Australia: Learning with Software Information and Resources Guide
Accounts of various applications of computers in classrooms, brief discussions of learning theories and concepts and computer-based pedagogies.
Global School Net Foundation: EdWeb
View a hyperbook exploring the history of the internet with insight into its role, importance, and future of the web as it relates to education.
Into the Matrix: Seymour Papert Interview
Read this insightful interview from 1996 with Sydney Papert, author of 'Mindstorms' and a leading theorist in the area of technology and learning.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge: Media Laboratory: Epistemology and Learning Group: Re-Thinking School
Learn about educational technology and reform theory, and more projects from the Epistemology and Learning Group at the MIT Media Laboratory.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge: Media Laboratory: Epistemology and Learning Group: Technology in Schools: Local Fix or Global Transformation?
Read the remarks of Seymour Papert, which were given at a House of Representatives Panel on Technology and Education, on October 12, 1995.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge: Media Laboratory: Marvin Minsky
MIT provides this online version of a brief biography of Marvin Minsky, the recipient of the Turing award in 1969 for his work in robotics.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge: Media Laboratory: Nicholas Negroponte
MIT provides this online version of a brief biography of Nicholas Negroponte, best known as co-founder and director of the MIT Media Laboratory.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge: Media Laboratory: Seymour Papert
MIT provides this online version of a brief biography of Seymour Papert, best known as a leading theorist and crusader of educational reform.
Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois: Institute for the Learning Sciences: Engines for Education
This hyperbook discusses the dire state of United States education, the need for dramatic educational reform, and the role of new technology.
The New York Times: Christopher Lehmann-Haupt: Learning Better How to Link Up Computers and Education
A review of Seymour Papert's 'The Children's Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer', written by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt.
The New York Times: Christopher Lehmann-Haupt: Mosaic of the Mind
A review of Marvin Minsky's book, 'The Society of Mind', by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, published in 'The New York Times' on February 16, 1987.
The New York Times: Christopher Lehmann-Haupt: Vision of a Rosy Future for Man and Machine
Review of Nicholas Negroponte's 'Being Digital', written by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt and published in 'The New York Times' on Jan. 30, 1995.
The New York Times: James W. Lance: If I Only Had A Brain: A Computer's Guide
An insightful review of Marvin Minsky's 'The Society of Mind', written by James W. Lance and published in 'The New York Times' on Feb. 22, 1987.
The New York Times: Nicolas Lehmann: Grading the Public Schools
An excellent review, by Nicholas Lehmann, of Neil Postman's 'The End of Education', (Alfred A. Knopf, 1995) published in 'The New York Times'.
The New York Times: Samuel C. Florman: He Has Seen the Future and It Works
Read this review by Samuel C. Florman, of Nicholas Negroponte's 'Being Digital', which was published in 'The New York Times' on Feb. 5, 1995.
United States Department of Education: Internet and the Humanities: Human Side of Networking
This paper explains how the internet increases student participation and extends the limits of the classroom, then considers internet safety.
United States Department of Education: Technology and Education Reform Guide
This project addresses why technology is important to educational reform and how to integrate it, highlighting successful reform-based schools.
United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Connecting to the Future: A Guide for Building a Network Infrastructure for Education
A companion site to the video "Connecting to the Future," developed to guide communities toward building an education network infrastructure.
University of Idaho, Moscow: Associated Students: Marvin Minsky: Conscious Machines
Read an essay by respected intelligence philosopher Marvin Minsky, rejecting the position that machines will never achieve consciousness.