John Dewey and Technological Experiences

The world is moving at a tremendous rate. Going no one knows where. We must prepare our children, not for the world of the past, not for our world, but for their world - the world of the future.

                                                                                      John Dewey

     These, words to live by offered by John Dewey, can be heard at the end of the Progressive education video posted below.  How strange to hear this 21^st century art education mantra come from the mouth of a Progressive educator in 1945.  Have we come full circle, or are the Progressive ideas of the 1940s just now beginning to emerge?  John Dewey seemed to have a crystal ball that could see the future of technology in the 21^st century and how beneficial it would be to integrate technology into learning.   Since technology has become such an integral part of lived experiences, it stands to reason that these experiences would be vital in understanding the impact of technology on the greater community. 

     One thing I like about Dewey is that he believes, through art and technology, we can find answers to social problems.   This type of problem-based pedagogy encourages us to investigate the environments surrounding us as a means of transformation. 

     I totally agree with John Dewey's belief that education should connect the interests of the child with the interests of the community, and it seems that technology could be the perfect vehicle to accomplish this.  

The Lost Individual

        Spencer (2007) introduced an intriguing aspect of John Dewey’s philosophy in his article in, The Pluralist.  It seems that Dewey believed that there was a problem in the relationship between the individual and the community.  His belief, contrary to other philosophers, who believed man’s behavior was shaped by habit, was that the process of change often produced conditions that could be explained.  The conditions that lead to change can also cause certain individuals to become detached.  He called this detached person a lost individual, and suggested that this detachment occurred because of the changing social conditions of industrialization. 

         Dewey did have a plan for saving this lost individual, which was in a form of public socialism.  Dewey’s public socialism was different from capitalistic socialism in that he was more concerned with individuals sharing in social profits rather than economic profits.

         It is ironic that Dewey called the individual self “lost” when the educational system of the 21^st century seems to have lost its way, as well.  This could be due to the detachment of the learners that are sitting within the four walls of these public school systems.  Even though, Dewey was referring to industrialization as the force that caused the detachment in the early 20^th century, we can connect this same detachment to the students of the 21^st century.  These students have been changed by the technological forces of a global society, yet have been denied access of these forces as part of their community within today’s educational system.  It seems evident that today’s teachers need to create a learning environment that incorporates the totality of a student’s community in order to help students learn to be receptive and responsible citizens.  What better place than the community for assisting students in learning by reflecting on their own unique experiences.  

Spencer, A. (2007). Am I my brother’s keeper? Royce and Dewey on the community’s      responsibility for the lost individual.  The pluralist. 2(1), 71-80.