Monday, January 14, 2008
School 2.0-Another Perspective on Challenges We Face
The interview between Alan November and Dr. Young Zhao was quite thought provoking. It made me seriously think about how we as educators approach the problem of education in the technological world. We are living in a digital world and we need to help our students interact with this globilization. Why, as a nation are we so resistant to change? We are not looking to the future and our leaders and policy makers are not willing to face the problem. Other countries are willing to adopt to these changes in this digital, virtual, global world but we are slow to accept these changes. We need to rethink the educational environment. Technology in the classroom can assit students in becoming powerful agents of education. They become active contributors and expand their knowledge into a new learning community. I have seen how on-line learning can trigger transformation of schools. It creates and increases competition between schools and enables the student to choose the option that is most beneficial to them. Right now I am currently enrolled in 2 on-line courses for the summer semester of college whereas one year ago this technology or opportunity was not available to me. The potential increase of learning through this type of technology that Alan and Dr. Zhao discussed is huge. Minds need to be changed about the relationship between teachers and technology. It needs to be integrated into the curriculum so that teachers can become 21st century educators.
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3 comments:
I agree whole-heartedly with you, Molly. The American educational institution is in desperate need of retooling and rethinking, but change happens so very slowly in our institutions. This is often a source of great frustration to me. I wonder if it will ever be possible to speed up changes like these so that they happen BEFORE they are old news!
Sometimes I think that the education system is like the Catholic Church, it needs to catch up with the times. We are living in such a different world then when things started, but like Dr. Zhao said, they are trying so hard to fix the problems of the past. Well I think the problem is that education needs to move forward so we can give the students of today a chance, not the students of tomorrow!
You both are soooo right! I too am frustrated by the slow change in mindset by policy makers. WE are lucky that we are in a district with support of technology as many districts are far behind us. I also think we need to bring parents and community members in on the learning and conversation because they are the financial and vocal supporters (or not). They are not likely to support what they do not understand and as Dr. Zhao so aptly expresses, people consider dangerous those things they do not understand. I really think we need as a district to take a look at this challenge and have real discussion on how to move forward the process of digital teaching and learning within the fiscal and mandated confines that are inherent in today's educational mindset.
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