Zubhoff says that "'distributed capitalism,' which encompasses the myriad ways in which production and consumption increasingly depend on distributed assets, distributed information, and distributed social and management systems." Everything we do in education now revolves around technology; we rely on it so heavily that if there were to be a malfunction in the technology the education would shut down. We depend on technology and look at it as a way to connect with our students. Their demand is for technology. So, in order to meet their needs we supply it. And as each technology becomes out dated, we replace it to meet the quickly growing needs of our students. From computers, to palm pilots, it laptops, to iPads... all of which have come about in the last two decades. They were immediately incorporated into our school systems. One step further: chalk board, to overhead projector, to white board, to SmartBoard. It's a never ending cycle.
I know a Kindergarten teacher that has games similar to popular board games. She finds that the children get more excited about those than the iPad because most children have iPads/tablets at home. I found that interesting. Do kids like the technology but will the also like the 'old' game technology.
The first time I read this chapter, I related ‘distributed capitalism’ to IEPs. Each students gets an individual plan for their education. Upon further reflection, ‘distributed capitalism’ also goes along with NCLB and schools that do not make progress; parents are allowed to enroll their child in a building that meets guidelines. The last paragraph under the Zuboff section was powerful! Almost everything we do academically can be outsourced. It’s the relationship building that cannot be outsourced. Relationships between teachers and students and between students provide a culture that is important to young people.
I like the correlation with NCLB. We are giving parents a lot of authority and control over areas they never have before. I also think the "outsourcing" idea is prevalent with the push of online education. e2020 and similar programs are enabling students to work from home or without a teacher.
I totally agree with you Jerrie! I think those relationships are critical to learning and can not be outsourced. Think back to our own education, I remember the teachers for how they made me feel in their classroom; not necessarily if they were a "knowledgable" teacher.
As the driving force, Distributed Capitalism puts the consumer in charge of the services they receive. In Montrose, Colorado (a town on the western slope) parents have formed a school base on the Montesorri method and hands -on, individual education for all students. I agree with Jerri that relationships are important. In some cases, teachers are the only constant adults in their student's lives. This is especially important as many students aren't learning social skills at home.
Zuboff makes mention that there has been some "disruption" in the classroom. I find this to be true as the way in which we teach has changed such as new technology (ipads, white boards, the internet) as well as our approach to teaching (NY engage math) however, it hasn't really changed the core of what is being taught or how learning takes place. She mentions that it hasn't "mutated" but rather just "disrupted". Looking back at my knowledge of education, I think there is a lot of truth to that. It is interesting to know that there has been a 10% drop in trust in educational institutions of the past 30-40 years.
I think education is going in circles/cycles. I have heard older teachers say this. I see that when I think back to some of the leaders in education, like Montessori. Her philosophy is to let the children explore what they want and problem solve on their own with teacher guidance. Isn't that where this book is trying to point us? Innovation by changing how information is learned? So are we going back to the early 1900's and essentially doing what Montessori suggested as the best way to educate kids? I agree that this probably isn't mutation but disruption and particular disruptions that happen over and over.
It is stated that "consumer capitalism is fundamentally changing from a 'mass production logic based on standardization and high volume throughput to a distributed logic based on providing people with the tools, platforms, resources, and relationships that enable them to live their lives as they choose'" I can see this already happening in schools to an extent. The high school in Garden City is divided into wings for 4 different job umbrellas like human services. The classes in those wings are geared more towards classes students would need if going into that field, like biology and anatomy. However, the school system, as a nation, are still wanting to standardize curriculum and teaching. Students are required to know a set amount of skills in a set way. That is not breaking stadardization and teaching (provididng) the children with 'the tools, platforms, resources and relationships that enable them to live their lives as they choose' (careers). My first thought on applying that towards school would be that essentially every student would have and IEP, not special ed IEP but an individualized education plan. What that would exactly look like, I'm not sure, especially the elementary level. Maybe schools are moving that way with MTSS.
I agree, that would work better in the secondary school setting rather than the elementary setting. We have many different students at the secondary level that don't have any idea of what they're doing because they don't think that far ahead into the future when there thinking about being an adult. They make choices like not turning in their school work or not studying for a test and even disrespecting teachers . Some of these students don't take their education seriously and by the time they do take it seriously they have missed out on too many opportunities to be better prepared of being a responsible adult when school is over. So I agree that individualized education programs for individual students all of them would benefit from being better prepared when they graduate high school. Like in our projected course of study on our IEP's they will be able to see what classes they need to take to graduate and also see from year to year what they think they might want to do when they get out of high school or what kind of job they want. Along with that there are the leadership programs as well as the Skills USA program that students can participate in, those are good programs in which students can actively socialize in person with their peers within their school as well as other schools around the area.
In the beginning of this section, Zuboff says that consumer capitalism is moving away from a mass production logic. Her explanation is that with mass production logic, things were mass produced and were all the same. I can relate this to schools quite easily. Everyone in the class was taught the same material at the same pace. There was a specific order, for instance, multiplication was always taught in 3rd grade, division was always taught in 4th grade, etc. Differentiation was unheard of. Now, education is changing; we are trying to teach students differently, but not just the information. We are also teaching them how to access the information, how to verify correct information, and how to teach themselves. In doing this, schools are adapting and changing to meet the needs of the students and the culture in general.
I think it starts out with what students want to use in order to learn. We've seen one on one with iPads one on one with Google Chromebooks, we're starting to see signs of getting away from textbooks and good old fasion library books. I'm not saying this is bad thing, but we still need to teach students to still know how to look through a text book in order to find what information they are trying to look up or research on. Like in earlier chapters of this book we still need teachers to be creative and think outside the box because there are still students that will not find an iPad a Chromebook or any kind of device useful to them in order for them to learn. They will still use these devices for entertainment and social purposes but again they won't be useful to them for their education. Some students will still need paper and pencil and a book to learn.
I think this can go even further with online classes. I have a few students who take classes online if the school doesn't have the demand for a classroom with a teacher. They have required content, but it's good to see schools have the ability to offer online classes to extend the curriculum.
I also can add that the online classes are also for students who "can't get along with the teacher." While they may get their educational credit, they are not learning the interpersonal skills required for life to get along with a co-worker or boss who may not have the same ideas as them. So the online classes in that sense may not be a good thing, but just my opinion.
Linda- I love online programs as an option for some students, but I also agree with you that they’re not really gaining any interpersonal skills from it. I’ve already had a couple conversations with some of my teachers who have kiddos doing online coursework, and we’ve determined that when they get out on they’re own, it’s likely they’ll struggle to keep a job, get knocked in the teeth, or both! Yikes…
I really do not see how distributed capitalism will fully occur in education as long as we continue to test students using standardized tests. Distributed education can and does occur in classrooms but at the end of the year students are still tested on "mass production logic" and compared to others. I have seen teachers do amazing things in the classroom adapting to technology. I have seen teachers get excited about what they could do. Then I see them get deflated when at the end of the day they still have to teach to a test. There is a big disconnect and it is not at the local level, not even at the state level (mostly), but at the federal level where people, whose only educational experience was when they were in school themselves, make major education decisions that impact the whole. I would love to give my students the tools to navigate through their ever changing world but I also know what the reality is- which is in the spring they must take and pass standardized tests or schools are considered failures! At this point its more of "disrupted" education (pg. 186) than "distributed" education.
I agree with you Carol! The students are still held to passing tests like the masses. In my district, it is complete test overload and it seems everyone must make a certain score.
Carol - "Disrupted Education" was the topic at the lunch table the other day when General Ed teachers were saying that they lose 9 weeks of instruction time due to all the testing. That seemed like a lot of time but then I was talking with a couple of teachers from a different school (in a different state) and they agreed......
I agree with Deanna. We are so caught up on test scores that the focus is not on what can really by done by the student. They may not be able to be timed and score a score that is at their aim line not because they can't do it but because the time factor hinders them.
I agree with you that there is so much time lost in the classroom during testing periods. That was a huge topic of concern when our curriculum director was making the testing schedule. It is scary how much time gets lost.
I also do not see how distributed capitalism will fully be implemented in public education. I can see how some of the aspects are trying to be implemented into the high schools with using available community resources and providing optional course work, such as, e2020 and CTE courses with community colleges. When looking at the elementary level, I do not see distributed capitalism at all. Most of the students are held to a minimum achievement for reading and math in my district.
Zuboff points out that the trust in education has dropped and I agree because look at all the homeschooled kids, kids taking online curriculum, and specialized schools. I know if I would have had the opportunity, I would have much rather sat in front of a computer to learn Spanish than to sit in class, but then again, I wouldn't have had the interactions with my peers to learn from mistakes made. She also commented about the end user needs and desires haven't been imagined yet. Just seeing where technology has started and then jumped light years ahead with more to follow makes that statement so true. The jobs my kids are looking at now possibly won't be there when they reach my age because they have been replaced by a robot or someone who has been more trained in their area.
I see the dissatisfaction with schools and what students are learning more often than in the previous 10-15 years and more and more students attempting an alternate method of learning like online or home schooling. I've wondered how often this comes from well educated consideration of what is the best option for the child in question, and how much comes from the "advertisement" done in the press, but the fact that they weren't successful in school, points to a need for change, but I'm a little off topic. I agree with several of the above comments, that when schools are held to strict "assembly line" standards, it will be hard to get to real "distributed capitalism" .
Zuboff makes mention that there has been some "disruption" in the classroom which is a true statement. As technology has and still is evolving so has our style of teaching. Kids no longer learn through outdoor activities and family games, they learn through technology based products. Sometimes it is hard to engage students because of the evolution of technology. Zuboff also implies the customer now tells companies this is what I want, so sell it to me. I find this to be true in that alot of shopping is done on the internet and it is a I want it so what are you going to do to make it suitable to me to buy. It is not industries making a product while going out to selling rather than the consumer saying this is what I want now make it. I feel this is huge shifts for everyone in education and in industries.
I like the comment that Jennifer made about there has been a 10% drop in trust in educational institutions over the past 30-40 years. We have become such a me centered society it is much easier to point the finger at the schools/teachers/administration and so forth when children aren’t making the cut or are unsuccessful in school. It takes teachers who are dedicated to stay focused and willing to stick with the fight to make it through. Education like fashion in society makes full circle. Today whatever the flavor in education is, is what we implement in our classrooms. Sometimes we jump on the wagon both feet and never look back and some may drag their feet and slowly get on that wagon, but at some point we all get on the wagon. However a month, 6 months, or years down the road we change and do something else. Right now we all talk about MTSS and technology yet I am starting to hear the words guided reading come back and other vocabulary/teaching strategies. It all makes full circle we just hope that when it does we are here to help implement it and that we can work to do what is best for students.
Zuboff says that "distributed capitalism" is a fundamental change from the mass production logic to a distributed logic that provides people with the tools, platforms and resources that enable them to live the life they choose. This is a great concept, but I'm not sure that it can every fully happen in a school system with the standardized tests that we all have to complete. I think that schools ultimately would like to follow a concept such as this, but I'm just not sure that it is realistic. The school's ultimate job is to provide students with those tools. I sure hope that we are able to do it in some way, shape or form.
Even though our schools can’t tailor themselves to fit the exact needs of absolutely everyone, I do think that they’ve progressed to providing a lot more options based on what consumers want. For example, our ever-expanding use of technology, the Learning Pathways provided in high schools, the opportunity to join clubs and other extracurricular activities, and the provision of special education services are all ways of providing students “… with the tools, platforms, resources, and relationships that enable them to live their lives as they choose.”
testing the site
ReplyDeleteZubhoff says that "'distributed capitalism,' which encompasses the myriad ways in which production and consumption increasingly depend on distributed assets, distributed information, and distributed social and management systems." Everything we do in education now revolves around technology; we rely on it so heavily that if there were to be a malfunction in the technology the education would shut down. We depend on technology and look at it as a way to connect with our students. Their demand is for technology. So, in order to meet their needs we supply it. And as each technology becomes out dated, we replace it to meet the quickly growing needs of our students. From computers, to palm pilots, it laptops, to iPads... all of which have come about in the last two decades. They were immediately incorporated into our school systems. One step further: chalk board, to overhead projector, to white board, to SmartBoard. It's a never ending cycle.
ReplyDeleteI know a Kindergarten teacher that has games similar to popular board games. She finds that the children get more excited about those than the iPad because most children have iPads/tablets at home. I found that interesting. Do kids like the technology but will the also like the 'old' game technology.
DeleteI think they have not been introduced to the old board games at the home environment so it is new and exciting to get something new at school.
DeleteThe first time I read this chapter, I related ‘distributed capitalism’ to IEPs. Each students gets an individual plan for their education. Upon further reflection, ‘distributed capitalism’ also goes along with NCLB and schools that do not make progress; parents are allowed to enroll their child in a building that meets guidelines.
ReplyDeleteThe last paragraph under the Zuboff section was powerful! Almost everything we do academically can be outsourced. It’s the relationship building that cannot be outsourced. Relationships between teachers and students and between students provide a culture that is important to young people.
I like the correlation with NCLB. We are giving parents a lot of authority and control over areas they never have before. I also think the "outsourcing" idea is prevalent with the push of online education. e2020 and similar programs are enabling students to work from home or without a teacher.
DeleteI totally agree with you Jerrie! I think those relationships are critical to learning and can not be outsourced. Think back to our own education, I remember the teachers for how they made me feel in their classroom; not necessarily if they were a "knowledgable" teacher.
DeleteAs the driving force, Distributed Capitalism puts the consumer in charge of the services they receive. In Montrose, Colorado (a town on the western slope) parents have formed a school base on the Montesorri method and hands -on, individual education for all students. I agree with Jerri that relationships are important. In some cases, teachers are the only constant adults in their student's lives. This is especially important as many students aren't learning social skills at home.
ReplyDeleteIronically, in Montrose, the local school system has made some changes to more closely mirror the teaching practices of the new school.
DeleteZuboff makes mention that there has been some "disruption" in the classroom. I find this to be true as the way in which we teach has changed such as new technology (ipads, white boards, the internet) as well as our approach to teaching (NY engage math) however, it hasn't really changed the core of what is being taught or how learning takes place. She mentions that it hasn't "mutated" but rather just "disrupted". Looking back at my knowledge of education, I think there is a lot of truth to that. It is interesting to know that there has been a 10% drop in trust in educational institutions of the past 30-40 years.
ReplyDeleteI think education is going in circles/cycles. I have heard older teachers say this. I see that when I think back to some of the leaders in education, like Montessori. Her philosophy is to let the children explore what they want and problem solve on their own with teacher guidance. Isn't that where this book is trying to point us? Innovation by changing how information is learned? So are we going back to the early 1900's and essentially doing what Montessori suggested as the best way to educate kids? I agree that this probably isn't mutation but disruption and particular disruptions that happen over and over.
DeleteIt is stated that "consumer capitalism is fundamentally changing from a 'mass production logic based on standardization and high volume throughput to a distributed logic based on providing people with the tools, platforms, resources, and relationships that enable them to live their lives as they choose'" I can see this already happening in schools to an extent. The high school in Garden City is divided into wings for 4 different job umbrellas like human services. The classes in those wings are geared more towards classes students would need if going into that field, like biology and anatomy. However, the school system, as a nation, are still wanting to standardize curriculum and teaching. Students are required to know a set amount of skills in a set way. That is not breaking stadardization and teaching (provididng) the children with 'the tools, platforms, resources and relationships that enable them to live their lives as they choose' (careers). My first thought on applying that towards school would be that essentially every student would have and IEP, not special ed IEP but an individualized education plan. What that would exactly look like, I'm not sure, especially the elementary level. Maybe schools are moving that way with MTSS.
ReplyDeleteI agree, that would work better in the secondary school setting rather than the elementary setting. We have many different students at the secondary level that don't have any idea of what they're doing because they don't think that far ahead into the future when there thinking about being an adult. They make choices like not turning in their school work or not studying for a test and even disrespecting teachers . Some of these students don't take their education seriously and by the time they do take it seriously they have missed out on too many opportunities to be better prepared of being a responsible adult when school is over. So I agree that individualized education programs for individual students all of them would benefit from being better prepared when they graduate high school. Like in our projected course of study on our IEP's they will be able to see what classes they need to take to graduate and also see from year to year what they think they might want to do when they get out of high school or what kind of job they want. Along with that there are the leadership programs as well as the Skills USA program that students can participate in, those are good programs in which students can actively socialize in person with their peers within their school as well as other schools around the area.
DeleteIn the beginning of this section, Zuboff says that consumer capitalism is moving away from a mass production logic. Her explanation is that with mass production logic, things were mass produced and were all the same. I can relate this to schools quite easily. Everyone in the class was taught the same material at the same pace. There was a specific order, for instance, multiplication was always taught in 3rd grade, division was always taught in 4th grade, etc. Differentiation was unheard of.
ReplyDeleteNow, education is changing; we are trying to teach students differently, but not just the information. We are also teaching them how to access the information, how to verify correct information, and how to teach themselves. In doing this, schools are adapting and changing to meet the needs of the students and the culture in general.
I think it starts out with what students want to use in order to learn. We've seen one on one with iPads one on one with Google Chromebooks, we're starting to see signs of getting away from textbooks and good old fasion library books. I'm not saying this is bad thing, but we still need to teach students to still know how to look through a text book in order to find what information they are trying to look up or research on. Like in earlier chapters of this book we still need teachers to be creative and think outside the box because there are still students that will not find an iPad a Chromebook or any kind of device useful to them in order for them to learn. They will still use these devices for entertainment and social purposes but again they won't be useful to them for their education. Some students will still need paper and pencil and a book to learn.
ReplyDeleteI think this can go even further with online classes. I have a few students who take classes online if the school doesn't have the demand for a classroom with a teacher. They have required content, but it's good to see schools have the ability to offer online classes to extend the curriculum.
DeleteI also can add that the online classes are also for students who "can't get along with the teacher." While they may get their educational credit, they are not learning the interpersonal skills required for life to get along with a co-worker or boss who may not have the same ideas as them. So the online classes in that sense may not be a good thing, but just my opinion.
DeleteLinda-
DeleteI love online programs as an option for some students, but I also agree with you that they’re not really gaining any interpersonal skills from it. I’ve already had a couple conversations with some of my teachers who have kiddos doing online coursework, and we’ve determined that when they get out on they’re own, it’s likely they’ll struggle to keep a job, get knocked in the teeth, or both! Yikes…
I really do not see how distributed capitalism will fully occur in education as long as we continue to test students using standardized tests. Distributed education can and does occur in classrooms but at the end of the year students are still tested on "mass production logic" and compared to others. I have seen teachers do amazing things in the classroom adapting to technology. I have seen teachers get excited about what they could do. Then I see them get deflated when at the end of the day they still have to teach to a test. There is a big disconnect and it is not at the local level, not even at the state level (mostly), but at the federal level where people, whose only educational experience was when they were in school themselves, make major education decisions that impact the whole. I would love to give my students the tools to navigate through their ever changing world but I also know what the reality is- which is in the spring they must take and pass standardized tests or schools are considered failures! At this point its more of "disrupted" education (pg. 186) than "distributed" education.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Carol! The students are still held to passing tests like the masses. In my district, it is complete test overload and it seems everyone must make a certain score.
DeleteCarol - "Disrupted Education" was the topic at the lunch table the other day when General Ed teachers were saying that they lose 9 weeks of instruction time due to all the testing. That seemed like a lot of time but then I was talking with a couple of teachers from a different school (in a different state) and they agreed......
DeleteI agree with Deanna. We are so caught up on test scores that the focus is not on what can really by done by the student. They may not be able to be timed and score a score that is at their aim line not because they can't do it but because the time factor hinders them.
DeleteI agree with you that there is so much time lost in the classroom during testing periods. That was a huge topic of concern when our curriculum director was making the testing schedule. It is scary how much time gets lost.
DeleteI also do not see how distributed capitalism will fully be implemented in public education. I can see how some of the aspects are trying to be implemented into the high schools with using available community resources and providing optional course work, such as, e2020 and CTE courses with community colleges. When looking at the elementary level, I do not see distributed capitalism at all. Most of the students are held to a minimum achievement for reading and math in my district.
ReplyDeleteZuboff points out that the trust in education has dropped and I agree because look at all the homeschooled kids, kids taking online curriculum, and specialized schools. I know if I would have had the opportunity, I would have much rather sat in front of a computer to learn Spanish than to sit in class, but then again, I wouldn't have had the interactions with my peers to learn from mistakes made. She also commented about the end user needs and desires haven't been imagined yet. Just seeing where technology has started and then jumped light years ahead with more to follow makes that statement so true. The jobs my kids are looking at now possibly won't be there when they reach my age because they have been replaced by a robot or someone who has been more trained in their area.
ReplyDeleteI see the dissatisfaction with schools and what students are learning more often than in the previous 10-15 years and more and more students attempting an alternate method of learning like online or home schooling. I've wondered how often this comes from well educated consideration of what is the best option for the child in question, and how much comes from the "advertisement" done in the press, but the fact that they weren't successful in school, points to a need for change, but I'm a little off topic. I agree with several of the above comments, that when schools are held to strict "assembly line" standards, it will be hard to get to real "distributed capitalism" .
ReplyDeleteZuboff makes mention that there has been some "disruption" in the classroom which is a true statement. As technology has and still is evolving so has our style of teaching. Kids no longer learn through outdoor activities and family games, they learn through technology based products. Sometimes it is hard to engage students because of the evolution of technology. Zuboff also implies the customer now tells companies this is what I want, so sell it to me. I find this to be true in that alot of shopping is done on the internet and it is a I want it so what are you going to do to make it suitable to me to buy. It is not industries making a product while going out to selling rather than the consumer saying this is what I want now make it. I feel this is huge shifts for everyone in education and in industries.
ReplyDeleteI like the comment that Jennifer made about there has been a 10% drop in trust in educational institutions over the past 30-40 years. We have become such a me centered society it is much easier to point the finger at the schools/teachers/administration and so forth when children aren’t making the cut or are unsuccessful in school. It takes teachers who are dedicated to stay focused and willing to stick with the fight to make it through.
ReplyDeleteEducation like fashion in society makes full circle. Today whatever the flavor in education is, is what we implement in our classrooms. Sometimes we jump on the wagon both feet and never look back and some may drag their feet and slowly get on that wagon, but at some point we all get on the wagon. However a month, 6 months, or years down the road we change and do something else. Right now we all talk about MTSS and technology yet I am starting to hear the words guided reading come back and other vocabulary/teaching strategies. It all makes full circle we just hope that when it does we are here to help implement it and that we can work to do what is best for students.
Zuboff says that "distributed capitalism" is a fundamental change from the mass production logic to a distributed logic that provides people with the tools, platforms and resources that enable them to live the life they choose. This is a great concept, but I'm not sure that it can every fully happen in a school system with the standardized tests that we all have to complete. I think that schools ultimately would like to follow a concept such as this, but I'm just not sure that it is realistic. The school's ultimate job is to provide students with those tools. I sure hope that we are able to do it in some way, shape or form.
ReplyDeleteEven though our schools can’t tailor themselves to fit the exact needs of absolutely everyone, I do think that they’ve progressed to providing a lot more options based on what consumers want. For example, our ever-expanding use of technology, the Learning Pathways provided in high schools, the opportunity to join clubs and other extracurricular activities, and the provision of special education services are all ways of providing students “… with the tools, platforms, resources, and relationships that enable them to live their lives as they choose.”
ReplyDelete