Neil Postman

Neil Postman, "Virtual Students, Digital Classrooms"

Neil Postman (1931- ) was born in New York City and earned an Ed.D. from Columbia University in 1958. He has taught at New York University for more than thirty years, and is a prolific writer, often examining the impact of technology and the media upon education and the broader culture. Postman's books include Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (1985), Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology (1992), and Building a Bridge to the Eighteenth Century: How the Past Can Improve Our Future (1999). His work has also appeared in such periodicals as The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Harper's, Time Magazine, The Saturday Review, and The Harvard Education Review. "Virtual Students, Digital Classrooms" takes a close look at some of the possible negative effects of technology, especially computers, upon teaching and learning. It was first published in 1995 in Nation and reprinted in The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School (1995).

CONTENT

1. What is the purpose of Postman's question about God and antibiotics?
2. Who is Doctor Faustus?
3. Explain the author's disapproval over using technology to solve psychological problems.
4. Besides the computer, name two technologies the author considers mixed blessings.
5. According to the author, how are the computer and the printing press similar?
6. What are some of the problems facing schools mentioned in this essay?
7. What two reasons does Postman give to argue against computer instruction in schools? What use do they have in school, according to him?

STRATEGY AND STYLE

1. What is Postman's argument here? Outline his main points and types of support for each in as much detail as you can.
2. In paragraph nine, the author details the amount of mass media available today and provides specific numbers. What is the effect of this technique? How would the impact of the paragraph change if these specifics weren't provided?
3. Postman frequently uses the phrase "god of Technology," which contains unusual punctuation. How does his use and omission of capital letters here fit in with his ideas about technology?
4. Why do you think the author goes back to the early 20^th century for his last couple of examples? What point would be lost if he chose to use more current examples?
5. In paragraph four Postman provides a long quote from the work of Diane Ravitch, an author with whom he disagrees about the role of technology in education. What are some the advantages of providing this lengthy quote in one place as opposed to cutting up the writing and discussing it bit by bit?

1. Are you a technophile who's always reading about the latest gadget, or a technophobe who considers the toaster a challenge? Maybe you're somewhere in between? How does your stance here interact with this reading?
2. Does the Internet help you in your studies? How do you use the Internet? What have you found it good for? Where is it lacking? How can you relate your experience using the Internet to this essay?

SUGGESTIONS FOR SUSTAINED WRITING

1. Does Postman suggest that computers represent a revolution in technology, or that they have evolved from other forms of technological invention? Defend your answer with specifics from your reading.
2. The author writes, "Schools are not now and have never been largely about getting information to children." What does he think schools are mainly for? What do you think they're mainly for?

FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

Do some research about the "digital divide." Using your reading and outside sources, answer these questions: Which schoolchildren have more access to information than others with the advent of computers and the Internet in the classroom? What happened to the promise of equal access? Picking one locality, where are the problems the worst? What might be done about these problems?

WEB CONNECTION

Read this review of Postman's book Technopoly. What specifies did you learn about the book from the review? What kinds of things would make consulting the book itself necessary in order to find out? Would you fell comfortable using this review in a paper about Postman? Why or why not?

LINKS

Biographical

Not sure where to start your online research about Postman? Check out his own page at the New York University School of Education's Department of Culture and Communication. You'll find a photo, a biographical sketch, and some information about his research interests and publications there.

Here's another Postman biography, this time from PBS. How does it differ from the one above? What, do you think, accounts for the difference? If you had to pick one to use in a paper, which one would you pick? Why?

Bibliographical

This page has links to Postman's work on the WWW, including excerpts of his books, two speeches about technology, and a Q&A which he conducted. There are also a couple of other related links.

Read this review of Postman's The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School. Judging from the review, what are Postman's basic views about the main topic of the book? How do they jibe with yours? Can you tell if your library has a copy of this book from the computer you're using now?

Cultural

Have you ever taken a distance-learning course? Take a look at this distance learning FAQ. If you haven't taken such a course, would you consider taking one after your visit? If you have, how can you compare you experiences with those presented there?

Let's look at one aspect of technology as an exercise: "Appropriate technology" usually refers to that which is sustainable into the future and includes technology involved with energy, agriculture, and community planning. Take a visit to the homepage of the National Center for Appropriate Technology for an overview. What did you discover there? Where could you go online to find differing views?

In his book Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman argues that television is determining culture rather than reflecting it. Find some information about the book online until you're comfortable with his thesis. Do you agree with Postman? Why or why not? If you'd like to pursue things further, take a look at this Google.com directory about tv.