Article
A critique of the brave new world of K-12 education
Journal on School Educational Technology
(2008)
Abstract
The rapid development of transportation systems and communication technology, and the growth of population has resulted in the appearance of new settlements even in such remote areas of Earth as rain forests and deserts. This has stimulated the need for a replacement for traditional education systems. K-12 education has emerged from the no-child-left-behind concerns of governments for educating the young population of their countries. This paper is a critique of such an educational system. It begins with a definition of K-12 distance education, and notices the five most popular K-12 systems: Statewide supplemental programs, District-level supplemental programs, Single-district cyber schools, Multi-district cyber schools, and Cyber charters. It then describes the most popular instructional practices within these K-12 systems and identifies them as: Instructor-led Training (ILT), Collaborative Learning, Computer-based Training (CBT), Web-based Training (WBT), and Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS). Then the paper compares K-12 education to traditional educational systems and identifies their advantages and disadvantages. In the end it concludes that computer or mass media technology has no special powers to enhance and facilitate learning unless it is embedded with instruction that addresses social and cognitive processes of knowledge construction.
Disciplines
Publication Date
Summer September 1, 2008
Citation Information
Salmani Nodoushan, M. A. (2008). A critique of the brave new world of K-12 education. Journal on School Educational Technology, 4(2), 1-6.