Promises, Promises
(1994) 

DIR.:
John Merrow
TRT:
56 min
MPAA RATING:
NR
COLLECTION:
RATE IT:
  (0)

Our schools have a lot of computers--more than 4,000,000 of them--but unfortunately most schools use computers in limited capacities. "Promises, Promises" presents explanations for this shortsightedness: narrow, rigid thinking; misguided policies; obsolete buildings; and inflexible schedules.


PURCHASE OPTIONS



NOTE: Digital files cannot be added to your cart but must be streamed or downloaded at the time of the transaction. Purchase Now/Rent Now links to Amazon's VOD service where you will complete the purchase/rental.

See FAQ page for more information about institutional/library/educational use and public performance rights. amazon

FULL SYNOPSIS

For more than a century, educational technology has been promising to revolutionize learning. Film projectors, radio, television, teaching machines and the earliest computers all came into schools with guarantees that "education will never be the same." Yet this promise has never been kept.

But today's high-speed computer technology is different. For one thing, it's not "just for schools." Rather, the rest of society is using the computer as its central tool for communicating and creating knowledge. Technology in the new millennium is exploding. Why aren't schools keeping up?

Our schools have a lot of computers--more than 4,000,000 of them--but unfortunately most schools use computers in limited capacities- keeping track of attendance and grades, or for mind-numbing drill-and-practice exercises "Promises, Promises" presents explanations for this shortsightedness: narrow, rigid thinking; misguided policies; obsolete buildings; and inflexible schedules.

But examples of good practice can be found: classrooms linked in "cyberspace," students joining astronauts as they circle the globe, piloting robotic submarines or photographing the Sahara without ever leaving the classroom. Unfortunately, relatively few public schools use computers imaginatively, and the gap between the technology "haves" and the "have nots" seems to be growing ever wider.

Computer technology may be the last best hope for the public schools. After all, the computer doesn't know whether you are white, black or brown, rich or poor, or handicapped. All it recognizes and rewards is accomplishment. The barriers to success are not insurmountable, and the time to act is now. - John Merrow

GENRES

Documentary  

SUBJECTS

Education Types, Public Schools, Computers, Education, Technology

USER REVIEWS

You must be a Reframe member to write a review.
Existing members can login here and new members can go create a new account in minutes.

Be the first to write a review...

EXTERNAL LINKS

Learning Matters official site

COLLECTIONS

Learning Matters

ADD THIS FILM TO A LIST

You must be a Reframe member to create your own curated lists.
Existing members can login here and new members can go create a new account in minutes.

YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN



Top



RECENT TITLES

    Loading data, please wait...

RECENT LISTS

    Loading data, please wait...