Image retrieved November 28, 2011 from http://www.ideachampions.com/weblogs/vision1.jpg
Have you ever heard the saying, “Hindsight is golden”? Well, if I had known THEN what I know NOW, I certainly would have/could have been a better teacher! But to my own defense, I really thought that I was doing what was educationally sound at the time. It just goes to show that we really never stop learning and that we can always become more effective collaborators, facilitators, teachers, …...
Looking forward to 2020, we could probably argue that what we are doing now is educationally sound “at the current time” but that with technology advances, collaborative learning environments, tips, strategies, and more all just a keystroke away, we are probably in for quite a ride!
Although 2020 is only 9 years away, my mind is racing to possible advances. For those of you who may remember the cartoon called the Jetsons, some of those “far-fetched” concepts are actually reality today, AND we're probably not that far off in realizing other changes in the world that would affect education.
Image retrieved November 28, 2011 from http://www.tv.com/shows/the-jetsons/
On the cartoon show, the characters would simply press a button and “zap” - their dinner would be ready...(long before microwaves became a typical household appliance); they could communicate on screens with teachers, friends, a boss......(long before Skype); and, they had cars they could program from point A to point B (long before GPS systems)! So.....what does this all mean for 2020 visioning and how the world may be in the year 2020?
If we reference futuristic research and the wonderfully creative TED website, we can see and hear examples of how changes affect people every day – from the Amy Purdy story of her recovery from bacterial meningitis that left her without a spleen, kidneys, and both legs below the knees to Joe Sabia's technology of storytelling that's a great pictorial of storytelling through its 6000 year history. As we contemplate our future, allow me to challenge your thinking by taking you for a 6.21 minute journey with some robots!
How can we build self-awareness in our own students? As Marge Scherer, (2011, February) indicates, “Education has to change. We can't pull kids into learning in school if they are engaged in a different world outside school” (p. 7). Effectively teaching the students in 2020 will depend on two basics – embracing the tools and then using them! In fact, Scherer reports in her interview with Karen Cator, the director of the Office of Education Technology at the U.S. Department of Education, that Cator envisions the day when “....broadband is as pervasive as electricity and when all students will come to school with digital devices in hand, much as they came with their pencil boxes in the past” (p. 7).
Can you see the little George Jetsons of the world.....walking around with their digital devices – MP3 players, i phones, or whatever device the future may bring us - maybe even devices so small that we can't even physically see them? I'm picturing a time when my granddaughter can simply speak into a microchip and get the answer she's investigating.....instant feedback! Talk about differentiation in the classroom! Teachers will become facilitators of learning, channeling activities based on learning targets per child!
Imagine the possibilities!
Image retrieved November 30, 2011 from http://edinboroonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/brain_possibilities.jpg
Beyond the individual classroom, what can schools do to help prepare our students for 2020? According to Richardson (2011, February), we need to help students understand not only the safety and ethics of collaborating online, but we have to provide opportunities for them to find and follow their passions and to publish meaningful work for global audiences! We have to think beyond our walls, our community, our state..... We must teach “connections” - an opportunity to learn from those who take the time to read and respond. “Without sharing, there is no education” (Wiley, 2010). Teachers will be sharing lesson plans, thoughts, experiences, and will be utilizing wikis, blogs, voice threads, YouTube videos, photos, Skype, Googledocs.......intentionally having students share work online so that they can learn how to build their own foundations for their future sharing online.
My vision of the world in 2020 is one of immersion in technology – 24/7 – facilitating learning according to each child's needs, learning targets, and schedules, and getting our children more involved in their own learning!
References:
Scherer, M. (2011, February). Screenagers: Making the connections. Educational Leadership, 68/5
TEDTalks website retrieved November 28, 2011 from http://www.ted.com/
Wiley, D. (2010, March 8). My TEDxNYED talk. Iterating toward openness [blog post]. Retrieved November 30, 2011 from Iterating Toward Openness at http://opencontent.org/blog/archives/1270
I like your comparisons of technological advances that we have made today (like microwave ovens, and onscreen communication with tools like Skype) to the futuristic concepts I remember seeing on shows like the Jetsons. A lot of these "far-fetched" ideas have become realities. Who would've thunk?
ReplyDeleteAlso, your comment by Karen Cator about envisioning the day when “....broadband is as pervasive as electricity and when all students will come to school with digital devices in hand, much as they came with their pencil boxes in the past,” makes me realize that that day may be closer than we think. Broadband isn't quite as pervasive as electricity, but by the year 2020, I suspect it will be.
Linda,
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved the video of Amy Purdy! It is truly amazing what people can overcome and become. She is such an inspiration for some many people. I agree with you too that broadband will become common and everyone will be able to be connected. That will inevitably change the face of education. No more back breaking backpacks. [to end in alliteration : )]
Thanks Kari