Running head: POSTMAN PAPER 1

Postman Paper

Kaitlyn Valis

Loyola University Maryland

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Postmans ideas in The End of Education were thought-provoking and challenging. It is

not often in our day to day that we engage with more philosophical aspects of education and

technology, but we should be. We should be questioning and engaging in conversations about the

god or narrative that should prevail in society and school and we should be asking whether our

methods or use are aligned with that narrative or not. This questioning should be purposeful and

as Postman suggests, the value of a question is determined not only by the specificity and

richness of the answers it produces, but also by the quantity and quality of the new questions it

raises (p. 187). Postman lays out ten important principles that highlight how we should think

about technology and its influence on our lives, society, and schools. I believe that in these

principles he challenges us to question and think purposefully about our use of technology.

Postmans principles state that every technology has advantages and disadvantages and

these advantages/disadvantages are not distributed amongst people evenly. A new technology

might give great advantage to one group of people, but put others at a disadvantage. When

determining the usefulness and influence of a new technology it is important to weigh the

advantages and disadvantages. Also, technology not only has practical advantages and

disadvantages, but it has powerful control over how people think, what people value, and the

perspectives and ideas that people have. It changes what information we have access to and how

we access it. Technology can also influence our senses and how we interpret information that we

sense around us.

New technologies that emerge dont just influence our thinking and sense-making, but

they influence already existing mechanisms and technologies. Postmans principles argue that

new technologies compete against current technology for influence or use. In some cases, these

new technologies replace or simply add to technologies and systems in the world, but they often
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influence and change everything around them. Every technology also has embedded biases that

influence the intellectual, emotional, sensory, political, social, and content aspects of our world

and interactions. The change that occurs when new technologies are introduced and used is

profound and very influential, so the narrative or god that we abide by has to be strong and

purposeful enough to guide our decision-making.

More specifically, as technology influences the world it has a profound impact on

education and learning. The implications for advantages and disadvantages as well as the

influence on existing systems are very important to consider when deciding whether to

implement a particular technology into schools and classrooms. Schools and other educational

systems must consider if the advantages are worth the disadvantages and for who do these

advantages/disadvantages influence. Technology can be a great equalizer in education, but it can

also perpetuate the social, racial, and achievement divide. Schools must first identify the

narrative that drives learning at their institution and then ask if the technology, with its

advantages and disadvantages, is aligned with their narrative or if it furthers their overall

purpose.

Often technology can be introduced in education because it is the new or because it looks

forward thinking. These technologies can add to or replace current strategies and are

sometimes advantage, but sometimes they dont have a significant influence or they have a

negative influence. As Postman suggests these technologies are not simply additions to the

system, but they influence every aspect of our world. So for education that implication is that a

technology introduced influences all aspects of the learning experience; student interaction,

teacher interaction, student success, student attitude, and organizational procedures just to name

a few. Just as teachers and students might have biases that influence how they interact with each
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other, technology also has embedded biases that we must consider as we determine the

effectiveness of technology in the field of education. Technology in education is a significant

aspect of the learning environment, just as Postman suggests that technology is significant to the

world around us. It is for this reason that identifying and living out a shared narrative in

education is key to determining whether the advantages, disadvantages, impact, and biases are

worth it for the positive impact of the technology to students learning.

New technologies and strategies are being invented and implementing all the time in

education and its sometimes hard to keep up with the changing demands of the classroom.

These new technologies often involve training and setup time for the teacher and takes valuable

class time for setup, implementation, and training with the students. So how do teachers decide if

the latest and greatest tool is worth the effort? Postmans main argument is that in every decision

in schools and education you must look to the narrative that drives education. What is the

purpose of schools and learning? If you look at and think about every decision in the context of

this narrative, schools and teachers will be more purposeful and intentional about decisions made

and resources utilized. This narrative will help teachers to weigh the advantages and

disadvantages and the impact that it will have on learning, community, and the educational

system as a whole.

One particular technology integration strategy that has become popular, especially for

math and science disciplines, is the flipped classroom model. The flipped classroom model

utilizes videos, either created by the teacher through screencast software or found through other

resources, to deliver content and instruction individually outside of the classroom. Teachers and

students then utilize class time to work collaboratively to practice skills and apply content to

authentic application situations. Screencast software and interactive video tools like Playposit
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make this strategy possible because it would never happen otherwise. The flipped classroom

model can be a drastic shift in the classroom culture and structure so there are a lot of factors to

consider when deciding to implement this strategy. There are definite advantages and

disadvantages as well as biases that can arise when utilizing this strategy so it is important to

consider these in the context of the larger narrative and purpose of education.

Some of the advantages to this method are the ability for students to move at their own

pace while watching the videos and taking notes. Whereas in a classroom when students are

taking notes during lecture they might get behind, miss key information, and not be able to keep

up with the pace. Also, they might feel like they are holding up the pace of the class and

therefore not ask necessary questions. Another advantage is the class time in person changes

drastically from what it might have been before. Instead of a teacher lecturing for 50 minutes

there is much more collaboration amongst students and the ability for the teacher to work with

students individually or in smaller groups. If collaboration is key to the narrative of schools, then

this model drastically changes the way that this happens in the classroom. Flipping the classroom

also makes space and time for more authentic application type problems and projects.

The integration of this strategy and technologies does also have disadvantages and

obstacles to its success. The key aspect of this strategy is that students have to have access to a

device and internet at home to watch the videos and take notes. Due to inequalities in our society

this is still an issue for many families and schools, so these disadvantages disproportional impact

schools and students from lower socio-economic statuses. Implementing this strategy in an

environment without the necessary technology minimums or not providing alternatives can

negatively impact the students instead of providing an advantage. The schools and students
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resources must be taken into consideration when deciding to implement these strategies because

the disadvantages might cause more division in achievement then learning.

The flipped classroom model of learning is very different than the traditional lecture style

of teaching so using this method and technologies is not an addition to the current model. This is

in line with Postmans principle that a new technology does not merely add something; it

changes everything (p. 192). This model does not simply replace the technology for a pencil

and paper or just add a flashy touch to the lesson. It completely transforms the way that students

learn, the way they interact with each other, and the way that teachers interact with their

students. Practically speaking, this model also competes against the current model because the

logistical structure of schools fits the old, traditional model. More flexibility in the school

schedule would allow for even more transformative expansions of this model, but it is currently

at odds with how school is currently structured.

Lastly, this new technology that allows us to flip the classroom does transform the way

the classroom looks and impacts the way that students engage with the content and the class

time. Embedded in the nature of this method and technology there are biases that impact

students. As Postman suggests these biases include intellectual, emotional, political, sensory,

social, and content biases. The sensory and social biases are probably the most evident with this

technology because the idea of watching a video at home to learn content is new for many

students and they can often struggle with attentiveness and staying focused without the physical

presence of a teacher. Students can also struggle with knowing when best to pause, rewind, and

reengage with the video. There needs to be scaffolding and instruction on the techniques for

watching and taking notes so as to limit the biases that could arise. Furthermore, there could be

social biases that exist because of the individualized instruction through video. Although this
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might be helpful for some students, but others might struggle without the presence of other

students and the teacher around. During the in class worktime students who engage better with

other students can have advantages to those students who struggle socially. Although these

students are building good skills, these aspects can cause bias and get in the way of content

instruction.

Another common and emerging technology that is and will be influencing schools and

learning is the prevalence of eBooks. There are a variety of advantages and disadvantages that

must be weighed when determining the appropriateness of implementing eBooks as a tools for

learning. These advantages and disadvantages are often in the context of the use and platform of

the eBook. At this point there is a wide range of eBooks and eBook readers that are utilized.

Some eBooks are very interactive and utilize a variety of media (videos, audio recordings,

interactive animations, and websites) to further explore the concepts. Interactive textbooks like

these have come a long way to engage a variety of different types of students and their learning

needs. If the content can be enhanced through the use of these multiple mediums, then the

eBooks advantages might outweigh the disadvantages. Some eBooks have not been developed

yet to be this interactive, but at the very least they are less expensive and lighter than traditional

textbooks.

The purpose of the book is the most important things that should be considered when

weighing the usefulness and purposefulness of using an eBook. Just as we should have a

narrative for schools and learning, we should have a similar narrative (or the broader narrative

should apply) for why we are reading and how we are reading. The purpose of the reading

changes and impacts the usefulness and appropriateness of an eBook. If we are asking students to

read a piece of literature the author probably intended it to be read as such; a book. Many believe
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that students should interact with a novel in the context that the author intended. And if the

purpose of reading the book is for students to analyze and determine their own interpretation,

then we probably dont want other distractions like videos or articles attached. We want students

to discover their own understanding of the story.

Postman argues in one of his principles that technology predisposes us to favor and

value certain perspectives and accomplishments and to subordinate others (p. 192). For this

particular example, eBooks definitely change our prospective of the information and content that

we are reading. We have to be aware of this when making decisions about the use of all

technologies, but in this case eBooks. Are we asking students to determine their own

interpretation of the story or are we asking them to engage with content that can be better

understood through interactive mediums? These decisions should be determined by the initial

purpose of the content and the reason for reading in the first place. The original purpose should

be driving these decisions, not the technology.

In conclusion, in all things in education we must have a clear, intentional, and purposeful

narrative that informs all aspects of our teaching, learning, and interactions. Due to the nature

specifically of technology it is vital that we are constantly asking ourselves in our decisions

related to technology integration if they are in line with our shared narrative as a school. There

are always advantages and disadvantages and it is our responsibility as educators to be aware of

these and make judgements that further the shared narrative. Technology has inherent biases that

should be considered when deciding whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Technology always has more influence and impact then we realize and it is important to

remember that technology does not simply get added to the learning environment, but it changes

everything whether its intention is to do so or not. The best and most effective narratives in
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education is those that influence practice. It is our responsibility as educators to live everyday

with our identified, shared, and intentional narrative at the forefront of our decision making and

teaching.