It took me a while to find sources that actually made me think "wow! really?" by thinking about future technological devices in the classroom. This made me conclude that many people don't really know where technology will take us in the future. The classroom has been a late bloomer in integrating and using technology but the world of education is now embracing these norms and putting them in place in schools. And there are a few people that are thinking about and starting up things that will have a big hand in shaping the future of teaching and learning. Here are a few things I stumbled upon:
-One trend I found while reading a few articles was finding something that bridged the achievement gap, that gap between students that perform and different levels. On the Mindshift website: "What Should Future the Classroom of the Future Look Like?" article Salman Kahn predicted classrooms to look like one-room schoolhouses of the past with each students working at their own pace and the teachers are mentors or guides. There would be no divisions in subjects to eliminate the "pretending" factor in learning. I am not sure I agree with this. This kind of scenario seems to demote teachers to supervisors and rob them of the experience their training prepared them for.
-On a BBC News article titled "Classrooms of the Future" another author comments on the achievement gap. A promotional video starting a conference showed a school where students would swipe cards to enter the school and start them on "self-directed learning" First of all, the swiping cards idea is pretty cool and would definitely help with attendance. I'm not sure how effective this would be with elementary students though. The rest of the article talks mentions laptops and the roles they would play in a student's education. It would help them work at their own pace in an environment they were comfortable in (not necessarily a traditional classroom). The article was a little vague on the role of teachers but it seems like they would again be in a supervisor-type role, available for questions as students initiate their own learning. To me, this is a lot of responsibility to place into a high schoolers hands. The environment described in the article was this: "vast, open-plan spaces containing high-tec study areas equipped with palmtops, laptops, plasma screens, and electronic whiteboards" This study area seems great. I think it may work better with a teacher still present in the role they presently hold.
-The topic I gleaned from various sources and learned a lot about was virutal worlds. I had heard of Second Life and video games but didn't know to what extent they were being used in the classrooms. I was shocked to learn that Harvard University is using a virtual reality to be the site of an accredited course for those who may want to audit it. According to PBS Teachers website Learning Now and the article "CyberOne: A Glimpse of the Future Classroom?" by Andy Carvin, Harvard University already has a course that is supported by an online source of sharing. Documents can be downloaded, lectures are available, and discussions can start on the wiki. Through the virtual reality environment of Second Life people who want to audit the class can do so through this other reality. Harvard is a place you can visit in the parallel universe with the same pathways and buildings. The class is the same, there are just made up people walking around. Such a strange idea to me. Why not just live life in the real world? With who you really are? Needless to say, I was shocked and stunned. I know there are very good things that can come from online support of classes, but I don't think a total immersion into another life is necessary.
Along the same lines of virtual reality, I read an article that proved positive (in my opinion) in the integration of virtual and real life. Duke University's newpage Duke Today had an article called "Looking into the Future of Technology in the Classroom" that talked about a class that enters into a virtual reality to learn about negotiating peace. The program is called "Virtual Peace" and it was created by Duke researchers. Students in a public policy class use "Virtual Peace" to respond to a humanitarian crisis. The crisis is hurricane Mitch--an actual even affecting Honduras and Nicaragua in 1998. The students with their created avatars have to meet as international diplomats and make effective moves and decisions. The point of this whole program is to teach studetns how to negotiate peace, and respond to real-world problems. I think this is a fabulous idea! It helps students work together in groups and apply concepts to real problems.
These were the things I learned from the sources I could find on where technology is headed in the world of education. I know there is much more out there and this assignment has made me want to search for more information. I was amazed at how simply searching on youtube brings up ideas for classrooms of the future and lets others know what is being implemented right now.
I thought the Harvard virtual worlds was strange, it reminded me of the game SIMS. I can see where it would be practical, for support of other people taking it online, but a whole virtual reality seems childish to me.
ReplyDeleteI have also heard that one room school houses are becoming popular again, but it doesn't seem ideal. I don't understand the "pretending" factor in learning, isn't play an essential part of learning. And I agree that when teachers become part of the background, there is no need for people to be teachers if that is the case, or the need for these people to be educated and trained. That could become very dangerous, especially if it harms the careers of teachers, and the education of the student.