How do we bring kids into the future?
Don Tapsco explains in his TED talk that an open society stalls old systems and makes them irrelevant. The printing press gave us access to the printed word, the internet allows us all to produce content, and connect with one another’s ideas like never before. I think the internet will revolutionize education and make the current model of conformity, standardization and compliance irrelevant.
A question brought up in the ISTE 2012 talk that I found thought-provoking was, “What do humans have that machines don’t or can’t have?” Teachers have empathy and understanding. Students have passion. To prepare students for the 21st Century, we have to develop students’ passion to learn and find things for students to be passionate about.
In order to do this, we must do our best to provide students with personalized learning experiences. Along those same lines, teachers need to be engaged with personalized professional development; teachers need to find their passions. The 1:1 article mentioned several resources for teachers to continue their learning and become flexible, engaged, innovative life-long learners. As I mentioned in my module 3 reflection, technology use in the classroom is not a straightforward thing. Teachers must be willing to experiment, play, and create with the tools available to them. The Internet offers so many opportunities for teachers to do this.
One major challenge is getting educational professionals to envision a new model of education, when they aren’t digital natives (Prensky, 2001). Our students are different, our world has changed, and yet we are working in an outdated model of education. Our educational system needs to adapt and become relevant for our learners. We can do this by personalizing education, integrating technology meaningfully, and teaching in a language our students understand.
Marc Prensky says teachers need to “bring our kids into the future, and equip them with the skills they need to thrive in the 21st Century.” What does this mean? How can teachers do this?
