How the PES idea occured

Well, the idea came to me like this. I was laying awake, late one night counting sheep when suddenly one of the sheep hopped through wearing a mortar board. You know, those funny hats people wear when they graduate. Soon there was another sheep and then another and when I turned to look all the sheep were wearing mortar boards. Too much coffee? A bad peperoncini? Perhaps, but in my half awake / half asleep state, I decided to pursue the idea.

Perhaps it will help if you know a bit more about me. I am basically a technologist. This is my true talent. I've worked with computers, networks and servers for over 20 years. Most of that time was spent as a system analyst or a system admin. I'm currently teaching, and yes, I'm out of my comfort zone. I'm trying to "bridge the divide" and bring the benefits of technology to the class. I hope to make some small positive impact there. But enough about me, back to the sheep....

 In my peperoncini induced stupor, I reminisced about the "good old days". The 70s, back when bell bottoms were fashionable, and computers were mainframes. I still remember the first computer I ever saw. It was the Control Data Cyber 70. (Wikipedia it). In the 70s, the computer industry was institutionalized. Only large institutions or governments could afford these electronic brains. Only specially trained programmers could alter the way they functioned and information was metered out grudgingly with password and "appropriate access" to the database.

 Later, in the '80s Commodore introduced the Commodore 64. It was a "personal computer" an individual could afford to own one of these and they could use it to store and manage their own information. I won't run you through the entire history of computing. (Google it or check this site). The point I'm trying to make is that, with the introduction of the Personal Computer, the individual was in control and the individual was empowered. I claim that it was the "empowering" of the individual that created the dawn of the information age. The information age (Wikipedia it) is noted as a period of time in which technological advances have changed our society and the way our society functions. Most would agree that affordable access to a wide variety of information is a positive change. But what does that have to do with the sheep wearing mortar boards?

Well, that must have been one really bad peperoncini, but I began trying to draw parallels between institutional computing and institutional education. It seems to me, that today, (circa 2012) education is institutionalized. It seems that only large institutions or governments can afford an education system. There are only a handful of individuals who can alter the way the system functions and education is metered out grudgingly through "appropriate curricular activities and classes". I wonder if it's time for the "personal education system" (PES).

I wondered what a PES would look like. How about a Leapster on steriods? Or better yet, how about an OLPC ?  That would be great for children, but a PES must be able to adapt and growth with the individual and it must empower the individual to control and contribute to their own education. There must be features that allow for expansion of the system and exploration by the individual. The system must have some method of credentialing the educational experience of the individual. The system must also have a social component because ;

"Education must enable a man to become more efficient, to achieve with increasing facility the legitimate goals of his life" - Martin Luther King Jr.    (full paper link)


If we are not careful:


"If we are not careful, our colleges will produce a group of close-minded, unscientific, illogical propagandists, consumed with immoral acts. Be careful, "brethren!" Be careful, teachers!" - Martin Luther King Jr.  (same paper)


So....  The vision of the "sheep with mortar boards" becomes clearer to me. But...

What exactly does a PES look like? ...I'm not really sure....

How does it function? ....I'm don't really know....

Can it be built? ....I doubt it...

Would a "personal" education system bring about the same type of positive change in our society, that the "personal" computer system brought about? .....Hhhmmm, I gotta think about that one......

... in any event, I propose the idea of designing and conceptually building a PES.

Feel free to contribute to the discussion, or you can simply follow my rambling blog.

C-