"A child's learning is the function more of the characteristics of his classmates than those of the teacher." James Coleman, 1972

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Pavlov, Meet Google's Classcraft

Classcraft is one of the hundreds of "gamifying" applications that is trying to cash in on the latest efforts to control human behavior in schools.  It uses 21st Century technology to implement a 19th Century form of primitive conditioning based on rewards and punishments.  What kinds of punishments, you say?

Well, have a look at this 2 minute intro, and you will see that a typical punishment comes in the form of learning and reciting a poem.   Can you imagine a more poetic form of pure punishment. Yuck! 


Here is a poem by E. E. Cummings that I am adding to the poetry punishment hopper:

2 comments:

  1. She ends with, "Don't forget to have fun!" Yuck. Programed emotion down to how you should feel about the program.

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  2. Schools actually buy this stuff? We are doomed.

    ReplyDelete