Work in Progress

Collins, A., & Halverson, R. (2009). Rethinking education in the age of

technology: The digital revolution and the schools. Massachusetts

Institute of Technology OpenCourseWare.

Collins and Halverson argue that digital technology is changing

education and challenging the traditional role of schools, which also

changes what people used to assume about how technology and school

can fit together. They compare the present digital revolution to the earlier

shift from apprenticeship to universal schooling during the Industrial

Revolution. During that time, learning moved out of the home and into

the classroom. According to the authors, it is now increasingly moving

back out of the classroom, into the home, into the workplace, and into

any space with digital tools. The authors describe this as a move toward

a lifelong learning model built around learner control, customization, and

specialized assessment, replacing the older model built around uniform

instruction and standardized assessment. This movement shows the

conflicts between how schools work and how technology works. So, the

authors think the schools’ role will decrease, while homeschooling,

workplace training, online courses, and other paths will increase.

Technology may increase engagement and give learners more

responsibility for their own progress, but the authors also warn that it

could create new problems around equity, social cohesion, and unequal

access to resources. Finally, they also call for a future vision of a

coherent system that can integrate technology into schooling.

One strength of this article is that it explains how technology may

transform education from apprenticeship to schooling, then to lifelong

learning, making a big historical change easy to understand. The

authors do not just honor technology. They point out real risks, like

students from lower-income backgrounds being left behind as wealthier

backgrounds move toward personalized options. That said, this is a

conceptual argument, not an empirical study. The authors support their

points with research methods, so the piece works better as a framework

than as evidence. It was also written in 2009, before generative AI

existed, so some predictions need to be reconsidered against what AI

tools can now do.

This article fits closely with what I am interested in: how AI and other

technologies can support learning inside or outside formal education

settings. I think the discussion of customization is key, since AI tools can

adjust content, tailor the learning schedule, interface, etc., to meet

learners’ preferences to a degree that authors could hardly imagine

more than a decade ago, which dramatically changes education. The

article also connects to my experience that online courses require

learners to take more control and responsibility for their progress, and I

think this is true when using AI tools. This source helps me narrow my

interest from technology in education generally to the relationship

among AI-supported personalization, learner motivation, and equitable

access, which is the research area I want to keep exploring.