This is the future, and children will spend their time on something like this when it exists. In fact I can imagine children leading classes and teaching what they're interested and passionate about.
The barriers that exist are that schools and the education system are very backwards, bureaucratic institutions that resist change at all costs. The majority of teachers/headteachers are very controlling and very abusive if their authority is challenged. If you threaten their jobs and authority - then they will resist this at all costs.
This digital, community-led learning system will happen. But it will probably happen outside of the school (prison) hours than from within them.
@alexc You are providing a wide sweeping overgeneralization of the education system as a whole and ignoring many of the awesome services it provides. What specific unbiased study states the majority of teachers are controlling and abusive? That we are power hungry and defensive?
I find your characterization of schools as prisons very offensive, and I hope you consider pursuing all sides of this issue before posting more hateful rhetoric.
Well, we are forced to send our kids to schools, whether we agree or not. Additionally, the kids have no say in the matter. While we can homeschool as an alternative, many lack the means to make that a reality. The fact that force is involved supports @alexc's claim of it resembling a prison, in my opinion. I believe completely voluntary models of education, like the one I explore here is how we will educate children in the future.
I also wouldn't call it hateful rhetoric. I am at work and don't have the studies to back up my views right now, but when I have the time I will show you how it is proven that our current model of education not only fails, but is completely counter-productive.
In the meantime, check out the School Sucks Project. Brett Veinotte does a phenomenal job breaking this all down and backs his claims up with real data. If you are curious as to why @alexc would say such things, I highly recommend you checking it out.
http://schoolsucksproject.com/category/podcast/
Take care!
On a side note, I of course recognize that there are many good teachers out there and I am not trying to castigate them needlessly. I am merely trying to point out fundamental flaws in our current model.
If we have voluntary models of education on a completely free market, I will never be able to afford school for my son with Autism. Students below the poverty line would never have a chance to attend school. Parents that don't care would never send their kids to school. Free and compulsory public education is the lynchpin to our society and growth. It's not force. It's open access for all. I am humbly asking to consider the good it is providing instead of just focusing on the bad.
To hear prison as an adjective sincerely makes me feel like I am an evil cog in some imaginary machine fueled by "the man". I am anything but. So yes, it hurts me greatly.
You and I agree on choice. My state has vouchers that allow students to attend private institutions. Many are starting to get there. I think there is much potential to be had there.
Thank you for your reply! It is great getting to discuss this from all sides of the issue! I will be sure to check out this link later when I have more time to process in full!
Love the school sucks project podcast! I actually recently wrote a post explaining why I believe that much of the current racial tensions stemmed from unethical public school practices: https://steemit.com/anarchism/@limitless/the-statist-root-causes-of-black-lives-matter
Will read it later for sure, followed back so I don't forget about you :)
That's fair. I'm sure there are some teachers who have a positive impact. I had maybe 2. I also can only talk out of personal experience which was that school was very oppressive.
https://steemit.com/school/@alexc/school-is-a-form-of-child-abuse
I may be overgeneralising. I am very hateful and angry towards schooling because it made me feel like a little worthless piece of shit because I dared to trust myself more than adult authority.