Rating: 
Summary: An Extraordinary Book Which Should Be Read
Review: Mr. Oppenheimer's book is beautifully written and scrupulously researched. It tackles some of the thorniest issues in education and technology in an entertaining and illuminating manner. I am puzzled by the reviewers who have some axe to grind about the Waldorf education system. They apparently have not read the book and do not understand its premise.
Rating: 
Summary: Discussion on waldorf-critics list
Review: On the waldorf-critics discussion list,(...)Bruce and Walden discussed "The Flickering Mind": BRUCE:
Really, how could even a large anthroposophical Waldorf institution openly discuss with parents the evil reality of Ahriman? Ahriman is one of those "they won't understand" concepts. So it gets hidden. Parents observe that anthroposophical teachers in the school act a bit odd whenever anything electronic is mentioned. Parents hear "TV bad" and most of them undoubtedly feel it simply has to do with children lazily sitting around, eyestrain, and the TV programming itself. WALDEN:
"A bit odd"... good one! The answer is to stop being a "bit odd" and tell the truth - even if the truth might seem more odd than hiding it. Most parents are happy to sit and chat about eyestrain and TV programming and computer/video games, etc. *That* is one reason we sent our kids to Waldorf. What we did not know was the relationship between Ahriman and Lucifer according to Steiner and how that relationship formed the basis of the impulse (for lack of a better term) of the "whys" behind Waldorf and electronic stuff. That's where Todd Oppenheimer misses the boat, as well, in his latest book, The Flickering Mind. I do not completely disagree with Oppenheimer's argument about childhood and television/video games. I completely disagree, however, with his black and white view of Waldorf vis a vis TV, etc. Oppenheimer has this weird, incestuous relationship with Waldorf where neither of them really understands where the other is coming from. But they are pleased as punch to use each other to promote their cause/movement. And it pays. Meanwhile, well intentioned parents continue to read and believe both parties... as they gladly send their children off to the "nonsectarian school" only to scratch their heads at some point down the line and scream to the heavens as they leave ... "Who the hell is Ahriman??!!" It would be simple to explain all this to parents BEFORE they enroll their children in a Waldorf school. Parents deserve as much and so do our children.
Rating:
Summary: Stellar book explains problems of technolgy in schools
Review: Technology is found EVERYWHERE. Should it be in our schools? This amazing book shows the problems the ever-present computers cause in classrooms. Oppenheimer's book is interesting, well-written, and fun to read. I highly recomend this book to all who care about the way people are educated.
Rating:
Summary: A Fine, Non-Racist, Provocative Book
Review: The charges leveled by a few other reviewers that this book is somehow racist because it is laudatory of Waldrof Schools, is utter nonsense. There is documentation throughout the web from varied authoritative studies indicating
that whatever the limitations of Waldrorf education (and every educational "system" has its limitations!) and of the social and racial perspectives of its founder, Waldorf education has great value for many children of varied races
and social classes but, like any educational approach, the teachers and administrators in each school determine its efffectiveness. There are great, humane, nourishing and effective Waldorf schools, and some bad ones. I am not a believer in Waldorf education, but have seen its value for the children of friends (some Hispanic and some African American). I also think Oppenheimer's book is too often simplistic in looking at technology in education and sometimes too clever rather than insightful in its use of anecdotes. But it is also a fine and thought provoking look at education today, worth reading even if you don't fully agree with the author's viewpoint.
Also, pay more attention to the careful, well reasoned and well researched reviews from Publishers Weekly and Book List than the emotional responses of those with their own personal agendas.
Rating:
Summary: Devastating the motivational myth
Review: The Flickering Mind devastates the notion that computers in school somehow provide children with an educational boost. In fact, by draining funds from traditional programs and distracting teachers and students from real learning, computers have been an educational drag. Oppenheimer exposes the underpinning of the arguments of pro-computer political leaders and educators as a blind faith that computers can motivate students to learn in a way that teachers cannot. We should be relieved that the computer's motivational power for education has been revealed to be a myth. This motivational myth has not only cost billions but it has obscured the real value of computers for education (at least in elementary grades). Computers excel at quantitative work. People excel at qualitative work. Motivating a student to learn is not a quantitative task, instead it is one of the most challenging of qualitative tasks. Computers cannot motivate students except in the novelty stage (as can any new activity). Motivating the individual student must be left to the humans in closest proximity and thus the responsibility largely falls to the teacher. Leaders looking for the next quick fix for education's woes should not throw the computers out and swing the pendulum back 50 years. Unfortunately there is little in The Flickering Mind which argues against such a backlash. Oppenheimer's conclusions that we should give teachers more responsibility, pay them more and step back from standardized testing as the primary measure of learning effectiveness are easy to agree with. I disagree, however, that the computer is just another teaching tool in the same category as the overhead projector. While it is not the motivator that many have believed in, the computer has more potential than a fixed-function machine because of its adaptability and interconnectivity. This potential has been overlooked because the idea of the computer as the magic motivator has drawn all the attention. A paradigm-shift in thinking is needed to illuminate the real opportunity that the computer and the Internet hold for primary grade education which I call "paperless teaching."
Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive book about K-12 education
Review: This is an excellent book which should go alongside Larry Cuban's "Oversold and Underused" on the reading list of anyone seeking a balanced perspective on why technology in K-12 classrooms often doesn't get used the way many imagine it might. "Edutopia" by the George Lucas Educational Foundation provides plenty of success stories, but Todd Oppenheimer reveals why most teachers struggle to make use of computers and other technologies. He addresses technology in K-12 at all levels, from federal policies down to the nuts and bolts of what can go wrong in the classroom. Chapter 1, Education's History of Technopia, and chapter 6, Computer Literacy: Limping Towards Tomorrow's Jobs, are both excellent and were highlights of the book for me. The numerous classroom examples from all around the U.S. are nicely presented and help make the book very readable most of the time. I did find the 60 pages devoted to Renaissance Learning and Accelerated Reader to be a little outside the bounds of what I would normally associate with technology in education. Although the chapter was a detailed and interesting examination of the world of educational research, I don't think it had much to do with educational technology. The chapter on Waldorf schools was fascinating and balanced and doesn't deserve the kind of reaction some people have offered (their comments seem to have disappeared from the reviews anyway).
Rating: 
Summary: The False Promise of Waldorf Education
Review: Todd Oppenheimer attacks "technology" in schools in a one-sided biased rant that would make a fundamentalist blush, and then endorses the Waldorf system. If he were a careful journalist, surely he would know that Waldorf was founded by the racist Nazi Rudolf Steiner, who is still revered within the system today. Yet he either ignored or missed this essential fact. Sloppy biased journalism is too prevalent in our society.
Rating:
Summary: A BOOK WORTH READING
Review: TODD OPPENHEIMER HAS CAPTURED IN WORDS WHAT MANY OF US HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT FOR A LONG TIME. TODD HAS A UNIQUE STYLE AND TREMENDOUS CLARITY. THIS IS A BOOK FOR EVERYONE. EXCELLENT RESEARCH THAT HAS BEEN PUT TOGETHER SO THAT IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE. THANK YOU FOR WRITTING SUCH A GREAT BOOK.
Rating:
Summary: An exceptionally fine book.
Review: Todd Oppenheimer has done a masterful job of exposing the magical thinking and willful deceptions behind the educational technology craze of the last 25 years. His research is meticulous, and his approach is even-handed and open-minded. He systematically spent time in the classrooms of schools that are renowned for their exemplary uses of technology, and he reports in detail what actually goes on there: countless hours and days wasted as students aimlessly surf the net, play computer games, and wait for someone to fix the broken machines and crashed networks. His book clearly documents how poor inner-city schools, especially, have been ripped off by the false promises of technology pushers, and astutely describes what students in such schools really need to succeed.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book From an Honorable and Careful Journalist
Review: Todd Oppenheimer is one of the most meticulous and respected journalists I have ever had the pleasure to come across. He would be the last person to advocate or disparage any school (or school of thought) on a whim or on the basis of some hidden orthodoxy. This a finely crafted and complex book. If you are a professional educator or a parent, you'll be glad for Oppenheimer's help assessing the state of modern education.
| 
