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CBC News - Consumer Life - The future of education: reboot required
This article seems appropriate after today's computer class which dealt with the use of social network technologies in the classroom. The article is an interview with Don Tapscott and a discussion on how the education system needs to change to be more student focused, engaging, collaborative, and adapting to the learning style of the multi-tasking net generation.
So far in my studies it has been emphasized repeatedly that teaching is about engaging students, encourage critical thinking, etc, etc, etc. I'm sure this has been taught in pedagogy courses for many years yet we still have teachers who lapse into lecture style of non-interactive teaching. Why is that? Is it because it's easier and takes less effort? How does technology fit into this? I'm a tech savvy person yet I sometimes still feel overwhelmed by technology because it brings in so much more information and I have to spend more time to filter through those extra information!
Loved the article, Lawrence. I especially thought it was interesting that youth are choosing to engage with the internet over just passively watching television!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Kim on this. The article was great, I really enjoyed it. Of course I enjoyed while texting, checking facebook, twitter, and watching tv. I'm just kidding, I'm definitely not capable of all that, but I'm sure my 17 year old sister is. Today's youth is all about multi-tasking, moving quickly and getting the job done.
ReplyDeleteI really think that teachers who fall back into the lecture style of teaching is simply because a) it is easier, and b) it's how they were taught. If I remember correctly most if not all of my high school teachers eventually resorted back to the lecture-style. They did try to engage us and mix things up, but by the end they simply did what was familiar.
Think I posted a comment on our 780 Moodle page but I'll reinterate...
ReplyDeleteGreat article. Lots of things to think about and consider. Helps sway me to move towards the 'technology is a positive thing' than the other way around. Doesn't give me a love of Twitter, but other methods, definitely.
Great blog - thank you for sharing! I must confess that it intriques, frustrates, and annoys me that there has been such a delay in integrating technology into education in meaningful ways.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the resistance to technology has been a direct result of the two or three generation gap between the 'digital immigrant' aging baby-boomer teaching population and their 'digital native' students.
Our rapidly globalising, 24/7 access to information, global cohorts pursuing on-line university degrees, creative commons inpired by a spirit of sharing, world simply is not the same as the post-world war II era the boomers grew up in.
I am however hopeful for the future as change is inevitable and as teachers who are also video game players and proactive with technology infiltrate the system - we will all benefit.