Education

The education system has always shown its intention of preparing students for the real world they will enter. But what happens when that world changes faster than classrooms can adapt? The traditional education model of rows of desks, standardized curriculum, and one teacher reaching thirty different learners at the same pace has not changed since the Industrial Revolution. Meanwhile, technology has transformed nearly every other aspect of our lives. We access information instantly, learn new skills online, and connect with experts worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted schools to adopt digital tools more quickly than anticipated, and now educators are evaluating what works and what does not as emergency funding is depleted. Virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and personalized learning programs are no longer in the experimental phase. These new programs and technologies could address problems that the educational system has faced for years, such as low student engagement, teacher burnout, and unequal access to quality education. They also raise serious questions about data privacy, what teachers should actually be doing, and whether we are merely making old teaching methods more efficient instead of rethinking the entire system. Anyone working in education or planning to enter the field needs to understand how technology is changing teaching and learning. There is no way around it anymore.

Curated Resources:

Resource 1:

MasterClass. (n.d.). Learn from the world's best [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPcv3V4jIE8

Type: Promotional Video

Resource Explanation: This video introduces MasterClass, a streaming platform that provides subscribers with unlimited access to lessons from top instructors across various fields. I included this resource because it demonstrates how education is evolving beyond traditional institutions. MasterClass proves that learning does not require sitting in a classroom with a certified teacher following a set curriculum. People can learn directly from experts (writers, chefs, business leaders, scientists) whenever and wherever they want. This appeals to adults who wish to acquire new skills without returning to school for another degree. It also raises bigger questions about what school even means now. If anyone can access high-quality instruction on their phone or laptop at any time, what purpose do traditional schools serve? This aligns with the broader shift toward education that is more flexible, accessible, and tailored to individual interests rather than age-based grade levels.

Resource 2:

Price, M. (2025, July 8). Redefining school in the 21st century. Future of Education. https://futureofeducation.substack.com/p/redefining-school-in-the-21st-century

Type: Blog from 2 Hours Learning School

Resource Explanation: MacKenzie Price argues that the traditional school model is outdated and shows how AI-powered personalized learning can work. I chose this piece because it goes past theory and shares real numbers from Alpha School, where students learn twice as fast in just two hours per day using AI tutors. Price describes how AI assessments determine precisely what each student knows and what they are missing, allowing kids to move forward at their own pace instead of waiting for everyone else or falling further behind. Students at Alpha School consistently score in the top 1-2% nationally. Children from one of the poorest school districts in the country improve their academic performance from the 10th percentile to a previously unseen 90th percentile in just two years. This challenges the idea that personalized learning is only effective for wealthy families. The essay also rethinks what teachers should do. Instead of lecturing and grading papers, they focus on building relationships and providing emotional support. Price makes the point that we are limiting what kids can achieve by keeping them stuck in a system that has not evolved in over a century, and that argument hits hard when you have watched students lose interest in learning.

Resource 3:

Schwartz, D., Lee, V., & Blair, K. P. (2024, February). New advances in technology are upending education. Stanford News. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/02/technology-in-education

Type: News article

Resource Explanation: This article from Stanford Graduate School of Education brings together perspectives from several education scholars on the technology trends shaping classrooms in 2024. I picked this resource because it does more than promote new tools. It asks whether technology will actually improve teaching or merely accelerate ineffective teaching practices. The scholars discuss how AI could automate grading and lesson planning, which would give teachers more time for the human aspects of their job that matter most. They also discuss immersive technologies, such as virtual reality and gamification, as well as the vast amounts of student data being collected at present. What I value most about this article is how it balances optimism with caution. It enhances the potential of personalized learning, but it also highlights privacy issues, the danger of unknown biases, and the importance of teaching students to evaluate AI rather than just accepting it. The main takeaway is that we have a way to completely rethink education, not just put a digital wrapper on what we have been doing for decades.

Summary Paragraph:

These three resources enhance and explain the idea of how the educational system is shifting drastically. The old idea, where the focus was on having one teacher, one classroom, and the same curriculum for every child and even adult, cannot keep pace with the world's rapid evolution. Technology offers solutions to problems that have long frustrated educators. AI can personalize learning so that students who grasp concepts rapidly are not stuck waiting, and students who need more time are not pushed ahead before they are ready. Virtual reality can transport students to places they would never be able to visit otherwise. Platforms like MasterClass demonstrate that quality instruction does not have to occur in a physical building during set hours. But technology by itself will not fix education. The Stanford scholars warn that we risk just automating the same ineffective teaching methods we have used for decades. The Alpha School data is impressive; students are learning faster and performing better. Although there is an improvement, questions remain about what happens to teachers, how student data is utilized, and whether these models can be effective in underfunded public schools. Teachers are already stretched too thin. Many are leaving because the demands have become unrealistic. Technology should lighten their load, not replace them entirely. The best way to utilize artificial intelligence is for managing administrative duties and for personalized education. These practices enable teachers to do what technology cannot do with the students, such as connecting with them and creating an environment of encouragement. The challenge is not just buying new tools but also integrating them effectively. It is figuring out what we want education to achieve. Are we training students to score well on tests, or are we preparing them to think independently, handle uncertainty, and follow their interests? The technology can support either direction. What matters is whether the people making decisions, like educators, administrators, and parents, are ready to move past a system that has looked essentially the same for 150 years and try something fundamentally different.

What type of learning environment works best for you?

• Traditional classroom
• Online
• Hybrid
• Self-directed