Mitra, Richardson and Kay
The video by Sugata Mitra at the 2007 Lift Conference was one that made me think about our current practices in Education and their effectiveness. Mitra gives his support for the reform of primary education by first introducing the audience with his four big ideas.
a. Remoteness and quality of education
b. Educational Technology should be introduced to remote areas first
c. Values are required doctrine and dogma are imposed
d. Learning is self organizing system
I was really impressed with Mitra’s first two ideas as they are key ideas in understanding urban education worldwide. It seems to be that there is truth behind the idea that the further away from an urban center you get to, the more remote area becomes…the question then is what happens to education? There is of course only one answer to that and that is that the quality of education goes down. Furthermore this idea shines light on the fact that this system creates an “us against them” system in which the social classes are divided and educational resources are further dispensed. Remoteness of education is a potential problem that will affect the American educational system in that we are finding that schools in remote parts of the country are not doing as they should in comparison to others. In India this is an even bigger problem due to the socio-economic status and percentages of disadvantaged kids to the advantaged kids.
Mitra’s second idea has the potential to make change in the education system if the United States. He says that new technology should be first introduced to remote areas rather than urban areas. This is completely logical because remote areas/districts would have the most use of the technology since they have more of an achievement gap. For example, if an urban district is in the mist of purchasing a 250K literary program whose product yield a 5% increase on scores, they will most likely not purchase the program due to that fact that the results are too low. 9 times out of 10 that same exact district scores a little about average on literacy assessments and thus the results of the product are not substantial. Take the same scenario and place it in a remote school district whose scores are below average, the program will most likely yield better results because there is a greater need for the use of the program. Mitra calls these bias results!
Perhaps Mitra’s most powerful idea comes from his experiment entitled “Hole in the Wall” In this experiment he goes to remote areas of India and places a computer inside a wall where only the monitor is exposed to the outside. He then observes as children from various different ages take turns in trying to make sense of the technology. The experiment yielded very interesting results. Mitra discovered that without the help of a teacher, adult or a computer savvy person, the children were able to learn how to use the computer. Mitra makes a connection with the fact that students should be allowed to take charge of their own education by experimenting and being facilitated. This leads to a very interesting point, what is the role of the new classroom teacher in the 21st century. If students can teach themselves, what is our place? “If a teacher can be replaced by a computer then he should be” There is truth to this statement and 21st century educators are realizing this more and more each day.
In reading chapter 13 entitled Navigating Social Networks as Learning Tools; Richardson builds a case for the need of teachers to model the use of technology. 21st century learning is centered on the idea that the classroom is changing so teachers must change to. Richardson notes that a virtual global classroom will be the new trend as technology continues to grow and improve. Social network technologies are completely revolutionizing the public school sector. School administrators are scared of using these networks because of its legal implications, but if used and monitored the right away, educators can see a new breed of student in the classroom.
The foreword of Bellanca was perhaps by favorite of the readings because as a future school administrator it is crucial to understand how 21st century are pared to core subjects, life and career skills and themes relevant to the times. The American educational system is crying-out for a new model or reform. We are almost refusing to accept the fact that the classroom and the student is changing. We are living in a time were technology is ever so present and is revolutionizing how we live our lives. The 21st century will see a new beginning in education as it will be transformed by technology and the new revolution. US schools for the most part have not adapted to the changing world. Innovation, creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, flexibility, adaptability, leadership, and cross-cultural skills are all imperative to have and our kids don’t have many of these skills. The 21st Century School will require reforms of the following areas as stated by Richardson in order to better service students.
1. Standards and assessments
2. Curriculum and Instruction
3. Professional Development
4. Learning Environments
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