Sunday, September 18, 2016

Education for the Future

After watching the videos, the two that stuck for me were The Future Starts Now – 2012 edition and Future Learning | Mini Documentary | Good.



In The Future Starts Now – 2012 edition, information and communication technology (ICT) is looked at as an educational tool. Though schools may have access to this technology, it is rarely implemented in ways that truly benefit students. The video proposes that better use of this technology could connect students on a level more familiar to them with their education, and ideally increase graduation rates. The video focuses on Norway moving to become a “knowledge based society” (that is, build an economy based on citizen’s knowledge, as opposed to oil and resource trade), but really applies to any country at the moment. The video proposes “computers can teach us to learn things in different ways.” With elements of multimedia, networked communication, and access to so much information, I feel it is fair to say computers can teach us to learn things in different ways. Another good point is made in that connecting to students with newer technology is absolutely vital. Students are using all kinds of newer technology outside the class, and having teachers integrate it more meaningfully into education seems to engage students on a level they’re comfortable with.

Future Learning | Mini Documentary | Good is another video that addresses student interaction with technology. Early in the video, a big problem we deal with all the time in education is brought up – lack of student motivation. The video claims the current model of education stifles motivation. It claims there’s too much repetition and it’s all a bit irrelevant to the students’ real lives. I think that’s something a lot of us may agree with, but it’s still unclear how to address that exactly. The most meaningful moment in this video, for me, was challenging the goals of education. Are reading, writing, and arithmetic really antiquated goals for education? It sounds a bit forward, but I tend to agree with the idea that they could be at some point in the near future. Another part that resonated with me was the critique that, though schools may be implementing cutting edge technology, the content taught with this new technology is often fundamentally dated. If the content were truly interesting, the students would be engaged by their own curiosity. Content provided outside the context in which students could use it leaves it disconnected from their reality, and the things they study in class seem irrelevant when they leave school. 

The use of technology to build an environment in which students are active participants and can connect their education experience to making real-life accomplishments is a natural and efficient way to keep students interested and motivated.

1 comment:

  1. I liked what you had to say about using cutting-edged technology to teach outdated material. Making sure that what students are doing to build knowledge and skill-sets for being "college and career ready" are fundamental not only to the CCLS but to the way students buy into their own learning.

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