What about The Future of Education

Ahh... the perfect world! We all sit in our pajamas taking classes, doing homework, or teaching classes! Education is free to anyone who has the desire to log on and take advantage of the classes being offered. Gas money and commuting is no longer an issue or a barrier to getting a degree, and teachers no longer worry about discipline. The students who cause trouble are simply blocked. College is no longer about sororities and fraternities and the Young Republicans or Democrats.

Ok, so maybe it wouldn't be a perfect world. Maybe we all need more socialization and contact with 3 D people in a 3 D world. But I do believe the future of education is technology, whether through distance learning, Smartboards, webqests or podcasts. I believe the future of education will put much less emphasis on a teacher lecturing and leading, and more on the students being responsible and involved in the learning process.

I can see through my work at Eagle Academy that many students thrive on working independently, on self exploration, and self pacing. I, as a teacher, facilitate the learning process, acting often more as a travel guide as my students find information and put it to use. A few years ago asking my students to complete a project seemed the equivalent of asking them to harness the moon, but with the almost unlimited computer access my students now have, the tasks become much easier to complete, and sometimes amazing in what the students create! While I consider myself a bit of a techie, I am impressed with how much knowledge and experience the students come to school with.

I recently read that over 80% of all high school students have access to a computer and the internet on a daily basis. I think that is an astounding number when compared to the socio-economic break-down of our country. We as educators have to continue to build on the technological skills that the students already have and use it to prepare them for the world of college or work.

I may not really be ready to teach in my pajamas, although I have to admit to attending a few online CTER classes in my bath robe and fuzzy slippers, but I think that distance learning may well be the most important change in the high school. My high school offers lots of classes, but not everything that a college bound, or even work bound student could benefit from. My vision of the future is one of distance labs that would allow many school district to co-op some specialty classes. How cool would it be to learn Japanese or Engineering Basics in a school that can't offer it? I know some schools are doing this very thing, but I hope that someday it becomes the norm. As I see teachers preparing homework for students who are home sick or suspended I wonder why we haven't taken advantage of web cams so no student would ever have to miss a class session.

The future is always an interesting place to explore, but in education we have to have the foresight to meet it and be prepared for it. Including technology in teaching will enable us to do that.

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