Week 1 Blog Post

The appropriate metaphor for education is a garden, not the production line

Ursula Franklin

This particular quote stands out to me because it is something that is constantly repeated over and over again but never implemented. The education system in the U.S. places such an emphasis on testing, preparation for work, and grades that we forget about learning. When I reflect on my experiences in school, I see how I was never taught how to truly appreciate learning and instead had to follow the norm of focusing on grades and getting good test scores. I finally got to appreciate learning and learn with curiosity once I got to Carleton.

I wish that education in the U.S. was used to nurture learning, teach compassion to our youth, and give all students a chance to explore different areas of learning. Students should be given their own autonomy in learning so we can cultivate organic passion for every student. Finding a passion on your own gives you the intrinsic motivation to do your very best and helps one find a sense of direction—something many of us do not have. I hope that in the future more can be done to revamp education in the U.S. to help students gain autonomy and help them find their passion and sense of direction.

I am excited to learn about how we can preserve traditions and cultures digitally. In an increasingly globalized world, I know so many foreign cultures are being lost to the more dominant cultures. I want to know if technology is being used to preserve languages and cultures that might be lost and, if not, why no one wants to tackle those challenges. Technology is so powerful, and using it to preserve the very things that make humans so unique seems like a perfect use of technology. I hope that the preservation of culture will also allow people to connect to their heritage no matter how far they are and allow people to learn more about it.