Referenced Article: Matt Richtel, “A Silicon Valley School That Doesn’t Compute,” New York Times, October 22, 2011. Accessed October 23, 2011.
After two weeks of looking at schools with high technology, I have decided to take an alternative approach this week and look at schools that lack technology in their classrooms. Are the students learning? Can they perform well on tests? This week’s post is still a study of technology in the classroom, yet in a more unconventional form: many of the students at the Waldorf School of the Peninsula are children of important figures in the technological hub of Silicon Valley. The Waldorf school, however, is also unique because it embodies a technology-free learning environment. There are no computers in the classroom, and it is encouraged to keep computers out of the children’s homes. Although I am very interested in the absence of technology at the Waldorf school, I am more struck by the conscious decision of many technology-driven businesspeople and innovators to send their children to a school without even a desktop in sight. Perhaps the most interesting part of this article is that, after I was struck by its information, I realized that it was researched and written by the same author of the article in my first blog post. The perspective is entirely different, and the information equally compelling on the topic of an extremely different form of education.
The students at Waldorf Peninsula include children of parents working at “Google, Apple, Yahoo, and Hewlett-Packard.” Surprisingly, these students’ most common materials, even at middle school levels, are “pen and paper, knitting needles, and, occasionally, mud.” Located in Silicon Valley, the Waldorf School attracts parents of students who want to see their kids complete grammar school without the aid of technological products like cell phones that are so common in their workplaces. Alan Eagle, working in “executive communications at Google” with a “computer science degree from Dartmouth”, sends his children to the schools because of what he has seen in his own workplace; he owns both an “iPad and a smart phone”, even though his children use neither. The Waldorf philosophy is that student learning should not be influenced by the technologies that exist in so many classrooms throughout Silicon Valley and the United States. They even admit that their students would potentially have difficulty taking early level standardized testing because of the school’s nonstandard curriculum. An impressive “94%” of Waldorf students do attend college, and some at impressive schools such as Stanford University. In the view of Waldorf supporters, “technology is a distraction” and “engagement is about human contact,” two important components of the Waldorf philosophy that have shown at least a respectable degree of success thus far in the classroom.
At the same time, others would counter this viewpoint with the belief that children need to keep up with today’s technology in order to pursue jobs in the same line of work as their parents, or maintain an active role in today’s society as it increasingly depends on social networks, Internet news, and communication via cell phones. Even though students may find distraction in today’s technology, they can also use it to their advantage as they pursue learning with the influence or even integration of their new tools.
The Waldorf Peninsula School is a testament to the existing ideology that technology is not always a benefit in the classroom. Even people who know a great deal of information about technology are not always in accordance with the belief that it should be integrated into a child’s life at a young age. Unfortunately, even the school itself encounters difficulties with maintaining this ideology. One important way to learn about the Waldorf School is via Internet, and the school does operate and maintain a professional website, even though its students do not see it. I am interested in learning of someone’s firsthand experience at the Waldorf School, and comparing it with the more technological education that I experienced as a child. I do not think that there is an answer yet as to which method of learning is better, but I am very intrigued by the concept of having a non-technological school in the technological hub of today’s society.
An interesting point of view. I was surprised to read that the students of this school had parents involved with such technical companies. It seems to be counter-intuitive that someone who works at Google would promote a technology free environment. However, it does make sense in the context of our discussion last week regarding attention span. I can't imagine going to school without hearing the phrase "Call of Duty" for a week. I too would like to talk to one of the students who attended one of these schools but I also can't imagine them pursuing a CS degree or accessing programs through Stanford's AFS. I must say that I agree with the counter viewpoint because technology is a fundamental part of our society no matter how you look at it. It can't be avoided as one gets older, it provides too much convenience at relatively little risk.
ReplyDeleteI too find this whole concept very interesting, especially considering its location in Silicon Valley. While I am personally of the opinion that too much dependance on technology is a bad thing to foster in children, I think that completely cutting them off might be too big a countermeasure. Whether we like it or not (and I really think we should like it), our society is centered around the use of technology. For kids to grow up without any experience with technological matters may be a huge disadvantage for them in the real world. On the same note, the Internet provides so much information and, when properly controlled, can be a huge help in the classroom. Therefore, I believe this school might actually be counterproductive in terms of teaching younger children.
ReplyDelete