It is impossible to overexxagerate the impact technology has had on our society. I can carry thousands of songs in my fingertips. I can connect with people around the world via social media. I can "google" the answers to questions I may have or access an interactive map to help me get from place to place. I can carry hundreded of books with me at a time on my iPad. But what does this mean for the students in our schools? What does it mean for us as educators?
Last Friday and Saturday I had the opportunity to attend the NEASCD conference in Boston. This was an amazing experience during which I was able to learn about new ways to truly promote student learning so that our children are ready to face the challenges of the 21st century. The keynote speaker on Friday was a man by the name of Will Richardson. He is a former public school teacher who challenges people to think about this changing world in which we live and the associated implications for schools and learning.
The part of his presentation that really struck me related to an analogy he made between schools and newspapers. He stated, "Newspapers were created to deliver information. Schools were created to deliver an education." This worked when there was limited access to information and teachers. However, many of us know hold access to whatever data we want in the palms of our hands. We now can get the news from an abundance of sources. We can google just about anything and connect with content experts of any age around the world instantaneously. Students can access information and teachers online at any hour of the day. In order to stay relevant schools must also change to meet the needs of our new reality. If schools no longer are the only vehicle to "deliver education" what should our focus be?
He continued his presentation by sharing unique learning opportunities that exist for all of us. Richardson described learning now as, "Mobile. Networked. Global, Collaborative. Self-directed. On-demand. Transparent. Personalized." The challenge before us now is to effectively help our students to access the resources available to us and develop true life-long learners. Learning is a process, not a product. As Eric Hoffer wrote, "In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists." I'm not writing with any amazing solutions to this challenge, but promise to keep the impact of our new realities in the forefront as I work within this community of learners to help our students achieve.
