IT and Education

Science/Technology

Support this proposal

Adapt this proposal

24 Feb 2009

Of course IT is seeping into formal schooling but here it lacks an Obama success demonstration. Now this is not totally surprising for after all the presidential election system has led to a concise and precise outcome. Obama won the election.

But an educational ‘victory’ is much harder to demonstrate. It is not decided for all to see and accept once the votes are counted. To see an educational ‘victory’ takes much longer.

But does it? The acquisition of knowledge can be measured quite quickly and accurately. However, education is not merely measured by the amount of information students acquire but also by what they do with this knowledge.

Nevertheless if the citizens of Our Future Planet believe in the inherent benevolence of human beings raised in relatively kind and nurturing conditions, then there is a good chance that knowledge over all is beneficial even though much of it is at present used to kill and suppress and exploit other human beings as well as our fragile planetary environment.

Political campaigns are short and concise. Formal education of a human takes longer. And how indeed shall we measure educational success?

Is Richard Branson an educational success? Certainly his formal schooling was not much to admire. But now he has immense fame and wealth. But at what price? On the plus side one may say that Virgin Airlines has provided international education and pleasure. On the negative side we see Virgin’s role in air pollution and global warming and natural resource consumption.

You, Our Future Planet’s citizens face the challenge of an integrated, self-sustaining, future planetary system. Can the world stop burning too much coal and still stay warm and in jobs?

With increasing planetary awareness the citizens of our present planet see the dilemmas raised between economic success and environmental disaster. If we reap today our children will perish tomorrow. But do we care enough to restrain our own immediate desires?

I invite you Our Future Planet's citizens’ to provide your views and best thoughts.