Postman "Virtual Students, Digital Classrooms" Essay Samples

Neil Postman’s analysis examines the impact of new information and communication technologies on the present and future learning. Postman criticizes the significance of technology in educating people about various things in life and how it influences cultures and principles of different communities. Technology has led to student trusting computers more than their teachers and parents. Children no longer need the assistance of their teachers to work out some problems in class but turn to technology because it contains answers to everything. However, Postman termed the influence of technology in learning as a new wave aimed at simplifying the role of teachers. He uses 20th-century references to provide demonstrate how scientists and stakeholders in education struggled to find solutions to the challenging classroom environment by introducing standard formulas aimed at replacing competencies and resourcefulness of teachers. As early as 1918, experts knew one day a wave of change would come that will place leave teachers less significant and influential in children's classroom participation.
The use of examples from the 20th century would make Postman's argument baseless and irrelevant. Postman's objective in using these examples was to show concerns by education stakeholders to create a more improved learning environment where the student will not depend merely on the teacher. Using current literature and references would not fill the gap since the wide application of technology started in the early 21st century. On the other hand, Postman wanted to prove to readers that people indeed believe in the "magic" of technology. He used the example of Young John who could easily read the history of Japan by accessing information posted by greatest teachers of history in the past. Technology takes a person to the world of reality irrespective of the number of years since the occurrence of the event. Of course, Postman could have made no significance by relating modern references to historical events.