Dreyfus- Ch. 3: Disembodied Telepresence

The technological age is not only prominent today more than ever, but is quickly expanding. The human race has become largely dependent on electronic devices, so much that it is impossible to return to prior generations. There is no turning back now, and as time passes society will continue to become even more super absorbed with these inventions. The idea of telepresence or electronically transporting human beings to different locations using channels of radio waves for audio, visual, and other components, is no longer a far fetched idea. Telepresence would significantly effect education and enables the idea of distance learning. However, I believe along with many others that telepresence will not produce the same effect found within the classroom.
In my opinion this age of the future is already here. Human communication in this day and age is no longer personal or face to face. The Internet has developed into such a giant network and source of vast amount of information. It is central to our lives. People now can efficiently live their entire lives practically without even leaving the privacy of their own home due to the Internet. Everything has become impersonal, not requiring physical presence, only mind and intellect at a distance. Descartes' philosophical ideas are primarily true that humans do not directly experience the external world. However there is a limit to how much technology can bridge the gap between complete electronic communication and personal interaction. The environment is necessary for human development because it provides viable risks and uncertainties which characterize life. Merleau- Ponty's theories support these ideas, that humans need the world and human interaction because it provides motivation and the creation of coping mechanisms. These genuine risks are not present using telepresence, especially when used for education. Throughout this Dreyfus proves that telepresence is not as an effective or complete replacement for the traditional school. Proficiency, competence, and situation based decision skills can be used by electronic instruction and observation. However telepresence's shortcoming is that it cannot possibly create the mood of a classroom or an experience. The fear to be correct, generated in a classroom when a student is called on by the teacher, is not able to be created in an online atmosphere. Also actually experiencing situation in person will help in predicting outcomes and handling stress and emotions. These aspects are also not included in telepresence. Although telepresence is useful for individuals who are not capable of attending school at their own leisure, in my opinion it should never replace the classroom. Telepresence does not completely train individuals to be the most qualified in their field of expertise, only mediocre professionals.