A Debate That Will Last Forever

Waldorf's learning environment is vastly different from BHS's. I believe that Waldorf's environment is too extreme and they seem to be so adamant in the fact that technology is only a distraction. Waldorf seems to have such a negative view of technology that it seems that they have not even given it a chance. When Alan Eagle said, “The idea that an app on an iPad can better teach my kids to read or do arithmetic, that’s ridiculous.” it made him sound conservative, fearful of technology, and quite frankly ignorant. The teachers and supporters of Waldorf all came off as if they just despised technology because they simply don't believe in the potential it has to offer. I can definitely see the point that Waldorf is trying to enforce, however they give off the impression that they are against change and progression. They seem to only see one way a student can learn, when in reality no student learns the same way. Waldorf could possibly be forcing a student to learn their way when there are tons of other ways to learn as well. For example Eagle's child could also learn math by going on khanacademy.com, where he will be taught math, but in a different way. As I continue to write more about Waldorf, the more annoyed I seem to get. This quote in particular “It’s supereasy. It’s like learning to use toothpaste,” quite frankly pisses me off. At the basic level using technology is easy, but that's only the basic level. There are many shortcuts, tools, and other ways to improve learning that a student could only possibly learn by searching the web. The web contains an infinite amount of knowledge and if Waldorf's students do not access it often they are multiple steps behind. The students who access the web will tap into that infinite knowledge and expand their horizons, while the students at Waldorf will be lagging behind because they would only start to tap into technology's potential at an adult age. Waldorf supporters seem to live in a world where all their teaches are capable, all their kids learn the same way, and technology is only seen as a distraction. I don't want to come off as anti-Waldorf because I do believe that there methods can be successful, but I believe that they are limiting their options.