Education in the Digital Age

In his landmark book, Swiss scientist Conrad Gessner wrote about his fear of information overload in modern society. He worried that too much data would be harmful to the mind. No doubt you have heard this message before. However, Gessner’s book is particularly intriguing because he never owned a computer, searched the internet or sent a single email. He died in 1565! His fears were generated by the invention of the printing press.

While this anecdote isn’t directly connected to education, it offers an interesting perspective as we wrestle with the amount of information available at our children’s fingertips. Energy must be focused on digital literacy to ensure consumers of information are able to evaluate content successfully.

For more information on the progression of media technology, visit Slate.

Kendra Thornton earned her Ed.D. from Johns Hopkins University with a specialization in Mind, Brain and Teaching which builds upon research from the fields of psychology, neuroscience and education. She is passionate about innovating school design to prepare students for the 21st Century and applying evidence-based practices to improve educational outcomes. Kendra is a Professional Clinical Counselor (PCC-S) independently licensed by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, Marriage and Family Therapist Board. She is also a member of the Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Services Team.