Thinking About the Impact of Technology on Future Education
When I think about technology and the future of education, I think back to volunteering in my children’s grade school a few years ago. I was amazed at how different things were than when I went to grade school. There were kids leaving the classrooms for enrichment, for reading help; there were small groups working at tables or reading at their own speed while the teacher worked with a small group on a story; there were kids in the SRC (library) researching animals for reports, or in small groups listening to international stories or working on guided readings—with parent helpers. When I went to school, we were either all in our classroom with our teacher, or all having lunch, or al having recess. We did work in small groups, but only within the work of the whole class. If we were out in a hallway in my grade school, well, we better have a pass and a good reason for being there.
Today’s grade school is much more fluid—at my children’s school, the kids knew when they were suppose to go to an outside group and they got themselves there—the teacher did not have to take them down or have another adult accompany them. So, why does this make me think about teaching and technology and the future of education? I think technologies will allow more of this kind of fluidity inside and outside a school building. I do not think schools, traditional schools, are not going to go away—we need some of the things they have to offer that online education and homeschooling cannot entirely make up for. When I hear someone like Bill Gates say that the current high school is obsolete, it makes me a little angry, because it overstates the case and the problem—it throws the baby out with the bath water. Some things about current high schools and our education system are obsolete—but some things are working and are worth keeping—and it seems we should talk about both instead of thinking we need to start over wholesale.
So what will change due to technology? Well, I think when school happens may change—everyone does not have to be at school at the same time in order to be learning the same materials: so those small groups rotating in and out of the classroom at the grade school, may be rotating I and out of the school--or may be meeting at the downtown library; or meeting at the Museum of Science and Industry, or in someone’s living room. The teacher may be facilitating from another city, or have students watching lectures or videos and then getting together in the school building to build a project, to take a test, to work in a lab. There may different ages of children working together on projects and teaching and learning from each other—either under the guidance of teacher or not. The rates at which children/students learn will be able to be better accommodated; the needs of individual learners will be able to be better met because teachers will have more flexibility about when & how they meet with students. Adult education may be able to be going on in some of these same spaces—bricks and mortar and virtual. Teachers might actually be able to be teacher-researchers because technology will allow them to record and evaluate many more aspects of their teaching and their students’ learning than is possible now. Evaluation and assessment will change to record and highlight learning in a more meaningful way—and students will be much more involved in this evaluation and assessment, because it will be an essential for them to learn—to know how to describe their own learning processes and what it means to know and succeed at something. It all sounds too good to be true—and perhaps it is a little rosy colored, but I do think the flexibility which technologies offer will be the greatest asset for changing schools and the way teaching and learning
MOOCs
After spending time exploring the Coursera website and reading about MOOCs, I do think these organizations will help make education more available and affordable for people around the globe--the Coursera offerings are pretty amazing and the fact they are partnering with university systems like SUNY to offer courses within existing, accredited organizations is exciting. On the other hand, the pessimistic side of me thinks people will find a way to monetize and stratify this kinds of education just like we have found ways o do it within our existing education system--the more money you have the more and better education you can buy. I know Coursera is offering scholarships--which is good--but what that means is that some things cost--not everything is free--accreditation or certification will cost money. it is complicated: we all need to make a living--so how are the instructors, who post all the wonderful course materials and who read student papers, (going to be) compensated? Will their home institutions do this? What about those grad students and independent scholars who post classes--how will they be compensated? Advertising? Something like Kick Start? The optimistic side of me wants to think that the costs of these sorts of certifications and accreditations will be nothing like what it costs to go to Harvard for a 4 year degree--and that this will allow people from all income levels to access learning--professional and personal.
When I think about technology and the future of education, I think back to volunteering in my children’s grade school a few years ago. I was amazed at how different things were than when I went to grade school. There were kids leaving the classrooms for enrichment, for reading help; there were small groups working at tables or reading at their own speed while the teacher worked with a small group on a story; there were kids in the SRC (library) researching animals for reports, or in small groups listening to international stories or working on guided readings—with parent helpers. When I went to school, we were either all in our classroom with our teacher, or all having lunch, or al having recess. We did work in small groups, but only within the work of the whole class. If we were out in a hallway in my grade school, well, we better have a pass and a good reason for being there.
Today’s grade school is much more fluid—at my children’s school, the kids knew when they were suppose to go to an outside group and they got themselves there—the teacher did not have to take them down or have another adult accompany them. So, why does this make me think about teaching and technology and the future of education? I think technologies will allow more of this kind of fluidity inside and outside a school building. I do not think schools, traditional schools, are not going to go away—we need some of the things they have to offer that online education and homeschooling cannot entirely make up for. When I hear someone like Bill Gates say that the current high school is obsolete, it makes me a little angry, because it overstates the case and the problem—it throws the baby out with the bath water. Some things about current high schools and our education system are obsolete—but some things are working and are worth keeping—and it seems we should talk about both instead of thinking we need to start over wholesale.
So what will change due to technology? Well, I think when school happens may change—everyone does not have to be at school at the same time in order to be learning the same materials: so those small groups rotating in and out of the classroom at the grade school, may be rotating I and out of the school--or may be meeting at the downtown library; or meeting at the Museum of Science and Industry, or in someone’s living room. The teacher may be facilitating from another city, or have students watching lectures or videos and then getting together in the school building to build a project, to take a test, to work in a lab. There may different ages of children working together on projects and teaching and learning from each other—either under the guidance of teacher or not. The rates at which children/students learn will be able to be better accommodated; the needs of individual learners will be able to be better met because teachers will have more flexibility about when & how they meet with students. Adult education may be able to be going on in some of these same spaces—bricks and mortar and virtual. Teachers might actually be able to be teacher-researchers because technology will allow them to record and evaluate many more aspects of their teaching and their students’ learning than is possible now. Evaluation and assessment will change to record and highlight learning in a more meaningful way—and students will be much more involved in this evaluation and assessment, because it will be an essential for them to learn—to know how to describe their own learning processes and what it means to know and succeed at something. It all sounds too good to be true—and perhaps it is a little rosy colored, but I do think the flexibility which technologies offer will be the greatest asset for changing schools and the way teaching and learning
MOOCs
After spending time exploring the Coursera website and reading about MOOCs, I do think these organizations will help make education more available and affordable for people around the globe--the Coursera offerings are pretty amazing and the fact they are partnering with university systems like SUNY to offer courses within existing, accredited organizations is exciting. On the other hand, the pessimistic side of me thinks people will find a way to monetize and stratify this kinds of education just like we have found ways o do it within our existing education system--the more money you have the more and better education you can buy. I know Coursera is offering scholarships--which is good--but what that means is that some things cost--not everything is free--accreditation or certification will cost money. it is complicated: we all need to make a living--so how are the instructors, who post all the wonderful course materials and who read student papers, (going to be) compensated? Will their home institutions do this? What about those grad students and independent scholars who post classes--how will they be compensated? Advertising? Something like Kick Start? The optimistic side of me wants to think that the costs of these sorts of certifications and accreditations will be nothing like what it costs to go to Harvard for a 4 year degree--and that this will allow people from all income levels to access learning--professional and personal.