Does Goldman Sachs care about your kids or $$$?

What an easy question, right?
You have to worry when the first sentence in their push for educational technology is this:

"With the level of investment in education technology now ten times what it was a decade ago, technological innovation is poised to change virtually every aspect of how students learn, at every age, at every level." (Scroll down to watch their 2 minute video.)

TRANSLATION: Invest in ed tech so we can make money and we don't care if it kills the joy of learning and financially stresses schools from kindergarten through college.

 
"Victor Hu, global head of Education Technology and Services in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs, explains three ways technology is altering the traditional model of classroom education. With more sophisticated technology entering the classroom, teachers and students will soon collaborate in ways never before anticipated, while enabling earlier intervention for struggling students and reducing dropout rates."


 TRANSLATION: We have hired amazing marketing firms to spin exaggerated claims about the value of ed tech in our schools, while implying that kids sitting at screens and plugging away is not "traditional". BF Skinner thought of it in 1954 with his "Teaching Machine". Looks like an innovative way for children to learn, no?

Mr. Hu has an impressive education, as found on Linkedin, but none of it is in the education field. In fact, his top three skills are listed as mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and private equity. Venture capital is number four. I would certainly ask him investment advice, but he might be one of the last people I'd ask about how to educate our nation's youth.


Watch this 2 minute video from Goldman Sachs and think about the real reasons ed tech and "personalized learning" are being pumped into our children's schools. I wrote about this previously here, here, here, and here.



Anyone who really cares about our nation and the education of our children should be pushing back against the misuse of technology in our schools. Technology can be wonderful, but it should be the servant, not the master.

Question everything or our kids will pay the price.

Comments

Popular Posts