Response to Cuban

Larry Cuban’s article "Public School Teachers Using Machines in the Next Decade" introduced three scenarios that he feels may occur in the next decade. The first of these scenarios is the technophile’s scenario, in which schools of the future are primarily ran by computers. Teachers become mere assistance in schools, leaving the teaching up to machines. The next of the scenarios is the preservationist scenario, which maintains current school structure while integrating machines into the curriculum. The final scenario is the optimist scenario, which very slowly integrates technology into the classroom. It is indisputable that technology is the future and that as educators we must prepare students in order for them to be successful in the future. Similarly stated by Cuban, "students must become familiar with electronic technologies. Computers, in other words, are the future and schools must prepare students for it" (Cuban, 151). The three scenarios outlined in Cuban’s article are important for future teachers to consider when looking at the future of the education system and how classrooms will operate.

The technophile scenario is an extremist view on technology in the classroom. The technophile scenario is the idea that students will be completely taught by machines and that teachers will merely be classroom assistants to computers. This scenario in my opinion is tragic and takes away from students’ education. The social component of the public school system is in itself a great learning opportunity. Social interaction and social skills can not be learned by working at a computer throughout the school day. Social interactions are essential for proper development and human interactions as an adult. Cuban states that technophiles "often minimize the power of social beliefs that have endured for centuries and perform important functions in society" (Cuban, 156). In conclusion the technophile scenario is unrealistic and would be more of a threat to the education system then an improvement.

The final two scenarios are fairly similar in regards to their "modest computer use in schools" (Cuban, 156). Although the preservationist view states that "schools are durable institutions, taking any new technology and tailoring it to fit millennia-old social beliefs about the nature of teaching, learning, and knowledge" (Cuban, 156). Preservationist are in favor of incorporating technology into the already existing curriculum and offering technology to a more diverse range of students. Optimists on the other hand are less concerned with integrating technology into the school system. The optimist view is to slowly integrate technology without paying special attention to its purpose or use in schools. As a future educator, I undoubtably believe that technology is important. Students should be exposed to technology and be familiar with how to operate machines by the time they earn their high school diploma. I tend to lean toward the preservationist point of view, in which technology is integrated when appropriate; without placing too much emphasis on its use in schools.