I just read the book. There is much I agree with and many things that I
do not. It is a book that I plan to read again.
There is a lot of talk out in blogland about the book - and judging
from some of the comments - many folks have NOT read the whole book. I
have read the Newsweek article as well as the book. I am not entirely
sure that those writers have actually read the book in its entirety.
The magazine writers cast blame for the educational deficiencies of
young people on the parents, teachers and baby boomers - implying that
Mark Bauerlein is solely - or even mostly - casting the blame upon the
NetGens. He most definitely is not. He casts big time blame on
teachers (and librarians) for abdicating their role as cultural
guardians and warriors. He casts blame upon parents who allow their
children to come home and immerse themselves in "screen time" as opposed
to spending time reading, doing homework and interacting with parents
and other adults. Bauerlein's primary thesis is that the social aspect
of net use is keeping kids in an extended period of adolescence. The
social side of life has ever been the favored domain of adolescence.
But in the past there were large chunks of time that were spent away
from other teenagers, allowing more space for them to read, think and
communicate with more mature minds.
This book will probably equally infuriate teachers, librarians, parents
AND NetGeners. Interestingly, a few days ago I found the most
thoughtful responses on the school newspaper of Emory College. Mr.
Bauerlein in a professor there. The article and comments appeared to be
primarily student written the last time I had a look.
The last paragraph of this blog post I wrote deals with the book.
http://wanderings.edublogs.org/2008/05/28/who-are-you-why-should-we-believe-you/
Mark Bauerlein sees a return to a more scholarly, traditional approach
to education as the answer to the problem. For another point of view on
the efficacy of "traditional" education, I found Doug Johnson's post
today to be very interesting.
http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/blue-skunk-blog/2008/5/30/the-impetus-for-educational-change.html
Jacquie
"The Librarian, whose job is to heal ignorance, to keep life safe for
poetry and to put knowledge smack dab in the middle of the American
way." ~ The Philadelphia Inquirer, 9-20-03
“Education is not about filling a pail, it’s about lighting a fire." ~
William Butler Yeats
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jacquie Henry, MLS
Ruben A. Cirillo High School (GHS)
Gananda Central School District
3195 Wiedrick Road
P.O. Box 609
Macedon, NY 14502
315-986-3521 x 3144
jhenry@gananda.org
Library Page: http://www.gananda.org/library/mshslibrary/indexgcl.htm
Blog - Library Links For Teachers: http://rachslibrary.edublogs.org/
Blog - WanderingsL
http://wanderings.edublogs.org/
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