Bigthink - User Ideas Feed

How is technological innovation changing the educational system?

Bigthink — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 18:59:39 +0100

The second talking point about 21st Century literacy is: The world of technological innovation moves at a different pace than the educational system.

When I first looked at this sentence, I wondered how it could be a talking point: Of course the speed of change is faster with technology than it is with schools. But this is so obvious that I wonder why it's worth mentioning.

However, look at what happens when we replace "technology" with what I think these talking points should be about, "compelling communication." I think this talking point should read something like this:

Compelling communicators use writing in new ways (qualitatively different than writing in traditional classrooms, not just getting to the same goals faster) because of technological changes, and educational systems need to change to remain relevant in this changing world.

This leads to a different question. It's not about finding a way to reconcile different paces of change. It's not about how teachers can moderate between two different cultures, but more about how we can continue to live in both technological and educational worlds without going crazy. Much of what happens in schools--especially around testing--must stop. We don't need to change schools faster, we need to start again.

Why must the benefits of technology be balanced with the risks for schools?

Bigthink — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:41:48 +0100

: One of the talking points about 21st Century literacy is: The powers of technology exist alongside challenges and vulnerabilities.

I read this and I wondered why it is has a passive construction, as if the challenges and vulnerabilities were some sort of act of nature. Here's how I would re-write this (I know it's now as tidy.):

Technology gives teachers and students unprecedented powers--to collaborate, to connect, to collect information, and to publish--but too often, school district administrators and IT personnel seek to control, block, and restrict these new powers.

I think it's important to remember that there are people in powerful positions who are responsible for many of the challenges and vulnerabilities that teachers face when they teach with new technologies.

Where does writing fit in 21st Century literacy?

Bigthink — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 18:52:59 +0100

: In June 2007, I presented at a two-day conference sponsored by the Tech Initiative of the National Writing Project. We were looking at the "teaching and learning of literacy in the 21st Century." Our friends at Inverness Research, Inc. are in the process of releasing several talking points related to our presentations and conversations. In general I'm concerned that their conclusions get the role of writing and technology reversed. Technology isn't a tool that allows you to write. Writing is one of the tools that we helps us to be higher-level users of the literacies that technology fosters. I will be writing more about the Inverness talking points in other posts here.

What would we teach in my dream school?

Bigthink — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 18:46:25 +0100

: In my dream school, curriculum would be planned collaboratively by the 6 staff members on each team, with four focus areas:

creative, compelling communication
academic inquiry and research
service learning and civic engagement

The a more developed set of outcomes would be specified on all six levels, with language for these standards developed by the teachers on each of the teams. Traditional or conventional subject areas, such as math, English, science, and social studies would be taught in interdisciplinary, when-needed focused ways. The curriculum would be project-based.

What would your dream school be like?

Bigthink — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 19:23:08 +0100

: I would love to be a teacher in a small, public school that serves the families in an urban neighborhood. The school would be exempt from standardized tests, and would use digital portfolios to promote and graduate students. The school would have about 432 K-12 students and about 40 staff members, which is small enough for these adults to meet and plan together as a whole group. There would be 6 teams with 4 full-time teachers, one team-leader, and one counselor. The remaining 4 staff members would share school-wide leadership responsibilities. The teams would be responsible for a range of four traditional grades: K-3, 2-4, 3-6, 5-8, 7-10, 9-12. Each team would be responsible for 72 from the 4 grads they are responsible for. Promotion from one team to another would be based on demonstration of specified outcomes at each of the six levels.

What do I teach?

Bigthink — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 03:19:24 +0100

: I teach in a new field of study. Teachers who teach with new media, with computers, with blogs and wikis, and podcasts are working in new ways with unique content. Our work, our field, our subject deserves to be a core class in secondary school.