There is never been a better time to prepare for when technology fails. In The End of Learning, Matthew Stein presents eleven suggestions for dealing with the potential loss of technology in our everyday lives. The value of education has never been more important, nor has its importance during the 21st century. This book presents you with a guide you can use in case the unthinkable does happen.
The End of Learning, the fourth book in the E-Myth series, presents new research on American education and what can be done to avoid a disastrous social disruption. Stein continues the discussion from the previous books, examining the role technology plays in the education system, and how American schools are falling behind in all areas of technology. The chapters are divided into two parts. The first examines the impact technology has had on education in the United States. The second examines the potential that technology fails to deliver.
- Stein continues in his review of this third book, examining three different technologies that have failed to deliver on their promises.
- Technology that offer more opportunities to students, and that provides a path of least resistance to change, is failing to deliver.
- A path of least resistance is a path that will lead to social disruption.
- The second chapter of this fourth book describes what exactly it means to be socially disruptive, and what educators need to do if students are to be effectively engaged in learning.
- This chapter was also published as a paperback, which has a forward and back cover, and a detailed table of contents.
The second chapter of when technology fails to deliver examines what Americans took for granted about higher education. This chapter examines what American higher education was like in earlier times, before computers, before the Internet, and before the digital explosion. Stein points out that people were so confident in their knowledge that they took for granted that all levels of education would be open to them, and they did not think that others who did not have as much money could have the same access as those with money. Those that took this attitude about higher education did not realize how greatly their mindsets changed when computers became widespread. It is only through the Internet that the world as we know it really can be seen from a global perspective.
- The third chapter of when technology fails to deliver deals with the utility failure brought about by the Great Recession.
- The author shows that this is an example of a technology failing to meet its promise.
- It is easy to blame oil and natural gas prices, but the author shows that the real problem lies in the fact that the United States lacks access to a reliable, renewable energy system.
- As a result, when a power outage does occur, those in the Midwest that rely upon windmills for their electricity cannot rely on federal emergency power supplies, because there is none.
When Technology Fails to Surpass Expectations One of the most disturbing chapters of when technology fails to deliver is when we discover the existence of radioactive material in our drinking water. A number of years ago, an environmental organization named The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began testing samples of local water sources in an effort to determine if they contained potentially dangerous levels of radioactive material. The testing found that there were unusually high levels of the substance in many areas of the country. It also found that despite the presence of such material in the water, the levels were not toxic enough to cause harm to humans. This chapter of when technology fails to meet expectations describes the unfortunate circumstances in which those in the Midwest were left temporarily homeless when this testing failed to detect the presence of dangerous levels of radiation.