Chapter 5: The Seeds of a New System of Education

          This chapter really made me think about the nontraditional school.  The chapter started off talking about the benefits of home schooling and virtual classrooms.  The chapter gave an example of two Hispanic sisters in California whose parents work full time and send their school to a Hispanic virtual school.  These students, because their parents are motivated to give their children a good education, are going on quality field trips and learning many different things if they were stuck in a general school.  The students are able to socialize with other children their age by going to the local YMCA.  Before reading this chapter I felt that online schools left out some valuable parts of the education system.  However, whether we would like to admit it or not, a few students get left behind in public schools.  In this case it might be alright to have the students take learning into their own hands by attending virtual schools. 

            This chapter also reminded me a lot of my dad as well.  When I lived at home, we would come home and see my dad tuned into the PBS channel watching his nature shows.  Me and my sister (who had been at school all day) would get annoyed with him because we were already learning for 8 hours at school and the last thing we wanted to do when we got home, was to sit and watch more educational shows.  However he was at work for 8 hours at a factory where little thinking was done.  This just proves that as humans our learning is never done and we are always yearning to learn more.  Maybe this is why many years after a student graduates from high school they return back to college for more education. 

                After reading this chapter it is hard how I would implement my new found knowledge into an elementary school classroom.  The chapter talked about video games that represent stimulation for children that would enhance learning for children. I myself played SIMS when I was a child, however I don’t feel that I learned anything from the game.  Maybe if the game was played by a child of a younger age there might be more learning involved.  While reading this part, I kept thinking of girls playing with barbies.  Aren’t these children simulating different situations and outcomes that may or may not happen.  Instead of having the computer generate out possible outcomes the child must be creative about the different possibilities of each situation.  Sims could also be used for a history class or science class where cause and effect are prevalent to learning.  Today I was in a classroom where the students were learning about the cause of planting sugar cane in Australia which effected the destruction of the great coral reef.  To learn about this teacher could create a Sims where they learn the outcome of their actions.