Apple in Education
The apple is continuously an icon for education (Malloy, forthcoming [jk]). Here is my quick pro/con list to this video about apple textbooks and ibook author.
Pro:
1. the program looks and acts in attractive ways
2. it is a great digital step for textbooks (far better than scanned pages of traditional textbooks)
3. they are giving author free (which, I may try to use)
Con:
1. Classic publicity hype “tech as cure to schooling problems” oversell rhetoric. Easily could have changed the name of the item and had the same claims for over a hundred years.
2. Most importantly to me, the most this innovation will do make the traditional form of schooling a bit better. It fully ignores any constructivist (or critical) notion of learning. Notice it never mentioned students using author to make their own textbooks and the note-taking focuses on fact memory.
It follows the pattern of reform as bettering a given structure, which I think it could do well. It does not, in any way, challenge that structure or encourage students to do so, which is superficial reform and a shallow concept of education. This, like any technology, will not make huge changes in education.
That’s my take. Have I been fair?
