I am not sure where to begin. One minute I am nodding my head and thinking this sounds great and then I think how will we ever get from here to there? My reaction to these podcasts took on many changes from cheers to fears. I see a future where collaboration and communication are encouraged. Critical thinking allows our students learning beyond books and lectures. Students are connected to the world outside of the classroom and allows for learning that could not of otherwise happened. The use of technology helps students to seek information on their own and creates excitement for learning. They will learn lifelong skills, confidence in their ability to find answers on their own. They will not only be lifelong learners but lifelong communicators.
So along with that come the fears of the unknown. How do we meet state standards and what about all those exams they are required to pass. How do we control content and outside contacts? How do the teachers and other adults become comfortable with the new technology that students seem so comfortable with? Do we lose communacation skills on a personal level with all this new technology? So these were just a few of the questions that kept me wondering what will this new school look like because I am sure we will see some form of it in the future if not already.
4 comments:
I agree! It's cheers and fears and wondering how to get from here to there for me too, Inda! I think educational institutions change so slowly, and yet the world is moving along so quickly. I think that our educational institution itself, including tests and standards and so on, really needs to change, but I'm not sure how to make that happen.
I think that we need to change minds about the relationship between teachers and technology. There needs to be other modes of assessment, not just all those standardized tests that many teachers just hate. They find themselves not being able to delve into the guts of the subject because of having to "teach to the test." I fear that if we don't integrate technolgoy into the classroom then we will be left behind.
You have defined the growing pains very well for the State level for the system as well as in each classroom. I think the kids are going to force the change to happen. They are spending so much time with technology as fundamental and we are catching up. I start to see it in how normal it is for the younger teacher (Millenials?) to be texting as a normal part of their communication. I think as we progress, the shift will not be in how we integrate technology into the classroom, but how we integrate the classroom into technology.
Inda, I agree with your observation about "how do we get there from here?" I think it would be quite difficult to meet all the technological advances and new standards, without changing the old. The real change needs to begin at the top of the chain -- with state lawmakers recognizing the need for a makeover in how our schools function.
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