Over a week ago I attended an inspiring technology conference. Everything was moving in high gear and we could see enough of the future to know we need to redirect the educational path for our students. But back at school on Thursday, the thoughts of ”our students are already so far behind that if we don’t do something soon, we will be last” came to a screeching halt. An upcoming old fashioned, hand-held, print book competition became the focus. With the competition over and some time to reflect, I rehashed the past few months of reading books, making time to practice with students, and generally working with the rudimentary tools of paper and brain. It is as if there are parallel worlds; one with the imagery of “the Jetsons” zooming past, and the other with the candle and charcoal of Mr. Lincoln. I read somewhere that when our students come to school, they have to shift down from their multi-tasking technology to reach the turtle speed of the average classroom. It seems there is a huge chasm. There has to be a way to bridge this difference. Many of us see the need to help move our students, i.e. future leaders, far from the ordinary education that we are used to and put them on the cutting edge of learning as we now see it coming. But does it have to be Either/Or?
BookBlogger
Morehead City Middle School Library
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March 28, 2007 at 3:23 pm
lraines
I don’t think it has to be either/or. I think they can go hand in hand. I believe that if we incorporate a variety of tools and methods in daily lessons we will reach the majority of students. Isn’t that what we’ve been taught to do as teachers anyway? My concern is that students who are 21st century learners, digital natives, don’t get a good enough balance of technology in their day-to-day classroom experience. So in that sense, we don’t meet their needs and we are losing them. We’re also not preparing them for the future when technology will play a role in their lives that we can’t even imagine in 2007. This is the same exact discussion we have about teachers who only lecture and never try other methods. Those teachers are only reaching auditory learners and we all know that students only retain 5% of what they hear. When students can use technology to demonstrate, lead a discussion, practice by doing, and teach others (all very possible through the read/write web) they can retain anywhere from 30-90% of what they learn. Those are much better odds and meet the needs of digital natives.
March 28, 2007 at 10:38 pm
Joe Poletti
Good thoughts, Amy. This is a dizzying time in education because we are trying to be all things to all people. Our familiar K-12 model was probably built more for sorting purposes than for NCLB.
I see the traditional model as being either/or. If we are to be inclusive, then it is both/and. While we know our world is becoming so connected and gadget-y, the transformational value of a good book cannot be overlooked.
In a world where our traditional view of literacy may evolve (or devolve) for the masses in the next 50 years, my prediction is those that want to be leaders will be readers.
March 29, 2007 at 9:26 pm
socializeit
Amy, I agree with the other comments of your blogg. We need a blend. It is like the Girl Scout song I learned many years ago but has stuck with me about friends……..our old friends we grew up with and our new friends we make later in life. “One is silver and the other gold. ” I’d say both are precious and needed. Together we have a good blend of what we need to make it in this world of ours!