Network Era Of Education

The computer networks and the Internet lead the human into a new era: the era of network. The coming of the era of network requests of self-development of education to adapt the request of the new era. The nature of knowledge, the function of knowledge, the educational media, social request and demand for education have been undergoing great changes in the era of network. This thesis, taking the Marxism theory as the basic standpoint and benefiting from the Post-Modernism concept of knowledge, explores significantly several important problems of education in the era of network from the view of the relation between education and "tools - machine system"(educational media). The general view in the thesis is that education changes its form and content every time with the progress of "tools - machine system" for education. After investigating the progress of the education before the era of network by historical analysis method and analyzing the feature of society in the era of network by realistic analysis method, the author explores creatively the changes of education in the era of network. The thesis holds the point of view that the education content, the education means and the method, the education forms, the educational purposes, the educational system and the educational value must make the corresponding adjustment in the era of network.The thesis is divided into three chapters. In the first chapter, being guided by the Marxism principle that the implements of production is "the measurer of the development of labor force", the author regard the educational media as the "tools -machine system" in education and "measurer" of education. Starting with the evolution of the educational media and the influence of educational media on education, this chapter explores the four phases of general situation in education before the era of network. This chapter explores the production and development of the oral language, the handwriting, the printing writing and electronic media in turn and their influence on education. The oral language had been created because of the transmitting of message; in turn it promoted information transmission. The appearance of the oral language made education become possibility; and the education teaching orally comes into being after that. The characters can help human being to accumulate knowledge and to expand the quantum of knowledge, making the specialized education to be obliged to, also making school education to come into being. Printing technology and the low-priced paper actuated production of low-priced books, making transmitting of knowledge in large range to become possible. Printing technology and the low-priced books increased greatly the ability of human in education, impelling education into "the mechanized era" early; class teaching system was created after that. The application of various electron media in education increased the ability of productivity in education, also caused the education method and the education form diversification, and pushed the education from "the mechanized era" to "the electrification era". Generally speaking, by the influences of educational media, education evaluated from the unofficial education teaching orally to the systematized, institutional school education, undergoing the pre-school education and school education. In the course of the evolution of education, the idea, that education is equal to the school education, had been intensified gradually.In the second chapter, after briefly introducing the emergence and development of computer networks, the thesis explores the time characteristics and the spatial characteristics of the society in the era of network, living style and mode of association of human being and the challenges and opportunities for education in the era of network. The computer network, being created in the 20th century, has covered the entire world in a short time, and integrated the world into "the global village". After the formation of the network world, human being lives in two space and times (real space and time and virtual space and time) and in two worlds (the real world and network world). The association between people takes place not only in the real world but also in the network world. The computer network and the network world provide a convenient and rapid education media for education and urge a new remote education to produce and to develop. The gorgeous network world has extreme attraction to students who have relatively weak self-control abilities, and also makes a large amount of students indulge in the network world. The emergence and development of computer networks brings not only opportunities but also challenges for education.In the third chapter, this thesis explores seven aspects of education in the era of network. Lifelong education is a standpoint accepted by everyone both ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign. The era also requires that person learns lifelong, and therefore we must establish new educational idea of life-long education and learning society, and put these ideas into practice. In order to build the learning society, we should give up the idea that education is equal to the school education in the era of network, and fully develop the non-formal education and the informal education with the help of computer and network, thus to make the formal education, the non-formal education and the informal education development side by side and to provide various educational opportunity for people. In the era of network, things that must be dealt with are more complicated and more overloaded; moreover to urge person all-round development is the responsibility that education should have, as a result, education in the era of network must change the method of work to limit their view to the objective knowledge. In order to urge person all-round development, education should promote people all-round including knowledge, feelings and ability. Educations that promote people all-round should carry out the integrated curriculum instead of the traditional separate subjects. All these aim at an education purpose: the Holistic Education that promote people all-round. In order to carry on the civil lifelong education that integrates the personal value and social value, we should rebuild a rational education system in the era of network.In all, education in the era of network is the civil lifelong education that promote people all-round including knowledge, feelings and ability by a lot of education Means and education forms, guided by life-long education and learning society.