Americans has always been on the edge of the next creative wave. However, presently and in the future, America is being challenged. Due to outsourcing and the World Wide Web, countries around the world are able to compete with America like never before. As Thomas Friedman puts it in his book The World is Flat, “Flattened? I rolled that word around in my head for a while and then, in the chemical way that these things happen it just popped out: My God, he’s telling me the world is flat!” (Friedman p. 7). Friedman suggests in order for Americans to complete in a flat world, we must upgrade the education of every American. Technological advances have made it possible for higher education to be competed through eLearning. eLearning is admired …show more content…
This is especially a desirable option for students in the Yakima Valley because a large percent of our student population are working class students, juggling a full time job and children. However even if eLearning is more affordable and accessible, it should not replace on campus education in the Yakima Valley because it will not help teach students to learn how to learn, nor help with the ambition gap and will not contribute to closing the education gap at the top. With access to the World Wide Web and being able to “google it” learning how to learn should be a piece of cake. Friedman comments about the Internet, “The result is that the same generation is in danger of growing up with 170 terabytes of knowledge and information, but not more than a few bits of wisdom” (Friedman p. 312). In other words, information is confused as wisdom and people do not know how to decipher between the two. I agree and believe this constitutes that eLearning students aren’t learning how to learn even with this cloud of …show more content…
We neglect the fact that we are competing globally and aspirations are necessary. Friedman words this reality well, “If one puts his ear to the flat Earth, one can hear the competition overseas” (Friedman p. 357). In making this comment, Friedman reminds us of the importance to not lose our ambitions because those in other countries are hard at work and the competition is fierce. I agree that Americans should be worried and should strive for higher education but then the question arises, can eLearning close this gap? The education portal points out that, “students who struggle to force themselves to complete unpleasant tasks or assignments may not have the motivation to complete an online education program. There’s no one to hold them accountable for deadlines or lectures and students may find it harder to get work done win this environment” (Education portal). In other words, motivation can be lost if there isn’t anyone physically around to keep one from falling behind. This theory is correct because studies have shown that students were more likely to fail or withdraw from online courses than from face to face courses (Jenkins). The documentary Discounted Dreams mentions that community colleges attract low income and academically underprepared students. A study on Washington State community
After viewing the panel discussion about how our local school districts have implemented English Language Learning in their school, I am very intrigued. From what I gathered the field of ELL is a growing industry in education, especially in Colorado Springs. We have ELL’s students coming from all over the world. Here in Colorado Springs alone, school districts have to accommodate for over fifty different languages spoken by ELL’s. I can only imagine the challenge that comes with such a diverse group of non- English speakers in our community schools.
What if one day the tuition of your community college was to become free? If you couldn 't afford college would you go? That’s exactly what President Obama is trying to propose in his State of The Union speech on January 20th 2015. In his words he claims “to lower the cost of community college, to zero”. I am a community college student freshman at Frederick Community College. Being a community college student I value my education and feel if this new proposal is to be put in place there will be people who don’t want to be there just like high school. Community college is something that runs in my family as my two cousins have attended a junior college in the past. I am in my first year at community college and can say that it is a lot different from high school as far as the expectations and work load. There are essentially some problems with this new proposal. Once I heard that President Obama
Throughout the years, America has always debated whether education is needed- if it helps people succeed or not. The argument in the past was always over high school education, which is now mandatory. That decision has helped the US rise economically and industrially. Today, the US is in the middle of the same debate- this time, over college. Some, like David Leonhardt, a columnist for the business section of The New York Times, think a college education creates success in any job. Others, such as Christopher Beha, an author and assistant editor of Harper’s Magazine, believe that some college “education” (like that of for-profit schools) is a waste of time, and can even be harmful to students. Each stance on this argument has truth to it, and there is no simple answer to this rising issue in an ever changing nation full of unique people. Any final decision would affect the United States in all factions- especially economically and socially. However, despite the many arguments against college, there is overwhelming proof that college is good for all students, academically or not.
more we run to search engines for answers the less we shall learn . Technology has taken the place of many students’ brains which causes them to think they are dumb. This leads to the need of searching for answers online at all
The education system has been changing in recent years and the same problems that existed continue to get worse as years pass. Problems that were seen as minor at first have now grown. How to change the public higher education system has been a major topic of discussion but there has still been no major action taken. We struggle to figure out how much funding is needed for higher education and where it should come from. Our people continue to suffer from an underfunded high cost system. The wealthy minority of people continue to be the only ones accounted for and it is time to change this. We need to adapt to the changes and the costs that continue to rise. It is time to help the struggling middle and lower classes. I believe that the best
Despite this, there continue to be incidents where middle class people are devastated when unable to achieve the so-called American Dream. Of course, the social expectations of a society are generally set by the previous generation and cause the newer generation to feel guilt when they cannot meet them. In order to avoid this feeling of guilt and insufficiency, people are willing to give up their unique hopes and goals; thus creating a people that are cohesively identical. Students in today’s universities are amazingly bright and creative, yet change their majors to those society has placed honor on, such as medicine, law, and engineering. The amount of innovation and invention
College education goes about the way to an effective future for people who are not kidding with it. Currently, a college education has turned in the base necessity in securing a job in different companies and although some people might think college is not worth the debt, in a long run it actually is.
From the words of the famous educational thinker and rights activist Malcolm X, “education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today” (Search Quotes) . In our quick evolving flat world, jobs are given to those who have more education and the skills to work more efficiently and faster; we all have to adapt and educate ourselves to compete with the rest of the globalized world. What can our country do to adapt? The plan for free college tuition for two years in Washington State allows our county to evolve with the rest of flat world. By giving many people the tools to learn how to learn it creates an actual opportunity for low income graduates to have a college education, which
Not too far in the distant past having a college education was a rarity. Now it is becoming less of a rarity and more of the norm. In today’s society, it becomes more beneficial for you to have a college education. College is something that doesn 't have to be for everyone and there are some great ways for individuals to pursue a decent career and still earn enough money to make a living. If you’re willing to put in the time, effort, and money to pursue a college education then you will most certainly reap all of the many benefits it has to offer.
I want my students to have the full benefits of me as a teacher and I believe learning about different educational theories will help me be a better teacher. In particular from this article I will take away that teachers are needed to help rear students to the right information and help them focus on what information is reliable. I also will take in consideration my own techniques as a student. I am guilty of multitasking during assignments and even “googlification”. I think the internet has benefited my generation in many ways but has also done a disservice on real research. I hope as a future teacher to really teach my students to research and find valid, reliable, and understanding information of the internet. A teacher in this new generation must adapt to the technology available to students and realize they will be using these resources. I hope to find a balance in my classroom between technology, self-educating, and learning
Education is meant to be the key to a successful life. It is supposed to inspire great ideas, and prepare each and every generation for their future. However, school for today 's generation fails to meet those requirements. Every student knows education is important, but when school is not engaging or in some cases, even relevant, it makes learning difficult. Improving the school system is something educators attempt to accomplish every year. Despite their best efforts, there are numerous flaws students see, but adults overlook. There is a lack of diversity for students to learn, an overabundance of testing, and students’ voices are being ignored on how to create a more productive learning experience.
Most of the time the Internet makes learning fun, unlike the plain fashion of the "almighty" textbook. Computers and other technology can also heighten the learning process by actively engaging students in the task of exploring data. Some students may be tempted to simply download information from the Internet that does not have anything to do with a particular subject that they were asked to research. This shows that the Internet may have a greater impact to education than to learn that information from a typical textbook. Since computers and the Internet have expanded the way with which
Many don’t realize that the road to success isn’t so much a road as it is a winding,
Going into college everyone expects us to know what we want to do with the rest of our life. That is a huge decision to make after living only 18 years. As teenagers we can’t decide what we want to where the next day, how are we supposed to choose what we will do for the rest of our lives? With the average cost of college ranging between $8,500 for a four-year public college and $29,000 for a four-year private college per year. (College Board) Can college students afford to make the wrong decision? Shocking facts reveal that around 75 percent students will switch majors from the time they start college till their graduation day.( Freedman) This just adds more money on to the two words no one wants to hear, “Student loans.” When we finally get to graduation the excitement is short-lived with the way the economy is going now. A college degree may not be enough to land a job that will pay the bills and 6 months later we start to get the bills for that degree.
In today’s technological advancements, people have various options to educating themselves online. “All education is self-education [...] We don’t learn anything we don’t want to learn.” (Chernoff). Much of the learning process is self education, and one can only learn what one desires to learn. The people who receive a real education are the one’s who take initiative to self educate themselves. This has been made substantially easier due to the Internet. Nowadays, there are so many online courses available, which allow students to work at