Module 11: The Spirituality of Educational Technology: Spiritual Foundations

After looking through the links that focus on monotheism online, and after reading about Ray Kurzweil, do you think that the belief in one God is the same as Kurzweil’s belief in “the singularity”? In other words, do you think that a belief in God, and an afterlife is any different from a belief in computers obtaining consciousness, and humans being able to live eternally through them?

For me, from a Christian perspective, the difference between believing in God and a belief in computers obtaining consciousness and humans being able to live eternally through them is that the former entails a position of humans as a subordinate to God and the latter as an equal. “The singularity” predicts that when we merge with technology, we will be able to do anything we want. This implies that human beings will co-evolve with technology to have god-like abilities, thus becoming an equal to God. This makes me wonder: Is living eternally through computers a good thing or a bad thing?

I wonder, because I think the movie Moon will be a likely scenario in our not too distant future.

In my opinion, God gave us free will. With free will, we are free to do anything we want. But this also implies that we are responsible with everything we do. Are we being responsible with what we’re doing? Are we showing our children how to be responsible with what we’re doing?

I believe there is a link between our obsession with technology and the corporate entity, which is why it is even more important for us to educate our children to be critical of the technology they use.

Reflect on any of the following: Do you think spirituality belongs in education? What are your school’s policies or philosophies regarding spirituality? What are some ways that you have integrated spirituality into your teaching practice (with and without technology)? Do you hold any hesitations and concerns about integrating spirituality into your teaching practice?

I think spirituality belongs in education, because the exclusion of it, in my opinion, can be related to the many social issues seen such as attacks on schools, gang violence, bullying, student suicides, and more. Take the list of school shootings in the US found on Wikipedia for example. The students went on rampages because they felt an injustice towards either the system, the people within the system, or both. If these students had a safe environment to express and examine the injustices they felt, would they have felt the need to express their emotions through violence? I am not a school counselor, but I believe that one person versus an entire school population is not enough to meet the emotional needs for all the students.

I think Wilson’s (2008) article sets a good foundation for schools and educators to follow in order to prevent future grievances from happening. Practicing gratitude by asking “What are you thankful for today?” would not only allow students to appreciate what they already have, it would also help them to be satisfied with who they really are.

Educators and policy makers need to examine the long term benefits of including Spirituality in education because as mentioned in the article, the current educational system focuses on the material and not the immaterial. The problem is not the students. It is the environment in which the students are in.

Reference:

Wilson, R.A., (2008). Developing the Whole Child: Celebrating the Spirit of Each Child. Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood /article_view.aspx?ArticleID=545

Please examine the website created by Discourse Leadership Group #11 members for more information on the topic.