Has Our Edumacation Failed Us? - A Challenge to Apple, Microsoft and Google

Complete Article List - Stephen T. McClard

I was on my way home this evening and feeling a twinge of hunger.  I stopped at my local burger establishment and noticed this odd little sign hanging on the drive-through speaker.  The problem with this sign immediately hit me.  An honest mistake I guess. 

Now before we start beating this person up for an innocent error, let’s be truthful and admit that this could easily happen to any of us under the right circumstances.  If you are a frequent reader of my blog, you’ve seen many mistakes and errors.  This is why I have a good friend in our English Department read my articles after they are posted.  Bashing the author of this sign is not why I am posting this picture.

You may be thinking—especially if you’ve read my blog—that I am getting ready to point out the many flaws in education.  Well, you would almost be correct.  I am actually wanting to argue the point that there is simply no reason for misspellings of this type in this day and age.  While it is true that there is a place in this world for everyone, there should be no excuse for such simple errors.  The tools to ensure that this never happens are here today, ready for us to use.  If we are going to place blame anywhere, it should be squarely placed on all of us.  Blame should not be placed on the government; not on the teachers; not on the education system itself and definitely not on the person who wrote the sign.  We are all responsible for the improvement of others, using the best tools possible.

How do I arrive at such an assertion you ask?

We are all aware that language existed before writing.  The first written languages started showing up as early as 6000 years ago.  The earliest recorded writings were pictograms, which later evolved into hieroglyphics and then into the written languages we have today.  As time progressed, the meaning and structure from written communication continued to evolve.  This development has always mirrored the technology of the day.  We use and improve our language to garner influence, generate and protect wealth, and communicate philosophical and political ideas.  If history teaches us nothing else, it teaches us that we need to match our communication to our technology for the next obvious evolution in knowledge.

Take the 1440 Gutenberg press as an example.  The Roman Empire dominated the known world as Gutenberg began experimenting with his first printing process.  Around this time, the Roman Catholic Church was selling Papal indulgences (written forgiveness of sins) as a way to elicit money from its subjects.  In 1452, Nicolaus Cusanus requested printed indulgences from Gutenberg, which eventually led to mass production of indulgences and the Gutenberg Bible.  These events led to the proliferation of the printing press, which later led to Martin Luther nailing his ninety-five thesis to the door of the All Saints' Church.  As a direct result of the Gutenberg Bible and the reformation of the church, democracy later flourished in the new world.  In the process, the tyrannical Roman Empire fell from its misuse of truth. 

The next world revolution occurred as a direct result of these events.  Around the late eighteen hundreds, universal literacy movements sprang up throughout newly industrialized regions of the world.  Improvements in education slowly transitioned from apprenticeship to formal education and training, which can be directly tied to the printing of the bible and the reformation of the church.  The results of this transformation are evident in the many innovations that drive our current world and society. 

Despite these massive revolutions in learning and understanding, our society continues to be held back by the same arrogance that drove the greed of the early Roman rulers.  The rulers of this day and age are seemingly no different from their Roman counterparts in their lust for power and ill-gotten wealth.  As history continually proves, this type of self-serving corruption cannot repress the transmission of truth to the people.  We can have faith that truth and education will reveal the legacy that we each leave to this world, eventually liberating us from those who choose to distort truth for their own gain.  Education is the obvious key  for this to happen.

So, what does this have to do with misspelled words on a drive-through speaker?  Why do I even care, you ask.  Let me tell you why.  Two important people in history—Gutenberg and Luther—started a change that affected the lives of the billions who followed.  They accomplished this through literacy!  Literacy should not be an option, left to chance or granted only to those with wealth.  Education is a right that should be efficiently imparted to the masses, using the latest technology available. 

Are we using the latest technology available, and who is the Gutenberg of today that will change the world?

Could the obvious answer be the iPad and Steve Jobs?  This one man is responsible for scalable fonts, partially responsible for the advent of the computer and currently responsible for the most amazing advancement in communication since the Gutenberg press.  Building education forward from this technology would mean the next reformation in knowledge and understanding for our world.  

If an educational spelling app would have been in the hands of the person responsible for the sign above, would the sign have looked different?  Imagine an app for every area of education in the hands of all school children.  Try to envision a day when benchmark testing could be done daily through database and tracking technologies.  Imagine a day when teachers could be released to facilitate education instead of being bogged down by data entry and mindless record-keeping.  Envision an educational atmosphere inspired by the process of guided learning and not by the regimentation of factory floor regurgitation.  This dream is easily attainable if the right person steps up to the plate and makes it happen.

I would like to do my part and challenge Apple, Microsoft and Google to build the next educational platform together.  History will judge and reward us for our contribution to others.  The politicians and corporations who currently rob us of our future will be judged for their contributions just as clearly as the leaders and companies that choose to jump-start the next technological reformation in education.  Remember that history always rewards those who choose truth over greed and honor over corruption.