Technology and Education

In the final two pages of Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman reveals his belief that the only way to save our society from transforming into the Huxleyan civilization of Brave New World is for schools to raise media consciousness and discover how to control television.  These were Postman's hopes for the future, our present.  However, doesn't television still control education?

Our education is still conducted using language based on the structure of dialogue on television:  short and sweet.  We don’t speak as the people did 150 years ago when typography was the main form of public discourse. "Educational" shows like "Sesame Street" still exist and continue to attract kids to television, providing entertainment instead of education.  Even "educational" movies and clips shown in class as visual aids, like Swing Kids, are forms of entertainment.  For example, in the many classes other students and I have taken, we are shown video clips that many consider to be boring; however, despite this fact, we are always excited by the prospect of watching a video.  Why? We have been brought up to love television and the entertainment that it brings.  In addition, nothing in school (besides these novels) has made me more "media conscious" and aware of the negative effects of television.   If anything, aren’t schools advocating the use of television? Many students are assigned homework that requires them to watch television shows.  For example, in my Spanish class last year, we were required to watch Spanish television shows and write reports on what we saw and understood.  Although this may seem to be an educational tool, isn’t this really just attracting kids to television and entertainment, further warping their perceptions of truth and knowledge?  Television continues to feed America irrelevant, trivial information, turning serious forms of public discourse into forms of entertainment.

 Television isn't the only medium of discourse either.  Isn't the use of the Internet also being emphasized by schools?  Throughout middle and high school, students are being pushed to use the Internet to find information and submit assignments.  Postman hoped that schools would help distance society from these mediums of discourse; however, haven’t schools only succeeded in further establishing a niche for them in society? 

What do you think?  Are we doomed to transform into a Huxleyan world?  Is there a way to counter the influence of television, and now, the Internet?  Can you think of any other solutions to "save" our society from the negative impacts of the media?