A critique of the brave new world of K-12

Vol. 4 No. 2

Year: 2008

Issue: Sep-Nov

Title: A critique of the brave new world of K-12 

Author Name: Dr. Mohammad Ali Salmani Nodoushan 

Synopsis: 

Over the past few decades has changed so rapidly that remote areas of the Earth are now inhabited by human beings. Technology has also developed and people can stay at home and have access to virtual schools. This has stimulated the need for K-12 education. K-12 education has emerged from the no-child-left-behind concerns of governments for educating the young population of their countries. This paper is a critique of such an educational system. It begins with a definition of K-12 distance education, and notices the five most popular K-12 systems: Statewide supplemental programs, District-level supplemental programs, Single-district cyber schools, Multi-district cyber schools, and Cyber charters. It then describes the most popular instructional practices within these K-12 systems and identifies them as: Instructor-led Training (ILT), Collaborative Learning, Computer-based Training (CBT), Web-based Training (WBT), and Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS). Then the paper compares K-12 education to traditional educational systems and identifies their advantages and disadvantages. In the end it concludes that computer or mass media technology has no special powers to enhance and facilitate learning unless it is embedded with instruction that addresses social and cognitive processes of knowledge construction.