Difference between revisions of "Teacher, Leave Those Kids Alone"
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
(Created page with '==Overview== We have dubbed our last scenario 'Teacher, Leave Those Kids Alone'. In this world, we find that technology has significantly changed the way that children learn. Gov…') |
|||
| (19 intermediate revisions by one other user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
==Overview== | ==Overview== | ||
We have dubbed our last scenario 'Teacher, Leave | We have dubbed our last scenario 'Teacher, Leave Them | ||
<h2> Timeline </h2> | |||
==2010-2015== | ==2010-2015== | ||
[[Image: | [[Image:Internet Teacher.gif|thumb|Internet as Teacher|200px]] | ||
The divide between what kids experience in the classroom and life outside the classroom continued to decrease the level of [http://http://scenariothinking.org/wiki/index.php/Decrease_of_Students'_Engagement student engagement] and schools became viewed as seriously out of touch with the world they were preparing students for. The [http://scenariothinking.org/wiki/index.php/Increasing_Rate_of_Technological_Change increasing rate of technological change] began to impact kids learning both inside and outside the classroom. Increased broadband penetration, Web2.0, and mobile technology began to enable a shift in learning. Though there were initial [http://scenariothinking.org/wiki/index.php/-_Obstacles_in_adopting_tablets adoption issues], a few teachers slowly began incorporating the internet and tablet technology as a part of classroom curricula. By the end of the period, corporations began to take an interest in the education market due to a lack of young talent. [http://scenariothinking.org/wiki/index.php/Decrease_in_competitiveness_of_EU Decreasing EU competitiveness] also led the EU government to seek input from corporations on how to improve the educational system. In addition, recognizing that advertising was no longer effective for kids and young adults, corporations became more proactive in educational activities . They sponsored large scale pilot education technology deployment programs and engaged in regular school visits. Teachers first reaction to the reforms was not positive. They tried to convince officials of alternative ways to increase students interest as they doubted how this new system could be effectively adopted. However, despite their initial reaction , teachers realized that the decision was irreversible and there was a need for change. In order to make the transition smoother, teachers received special training for the new learning experience and methodology. Moreover, the fact that a lot of teachers [http://scenariothinking.org/wiki/index.php/Increased_number_of_teachers_at_retirement_age retired] during this period enabled a natural migration to younger teachers who had grown up in the digital era. Thanks to the success of these programs and the continued decline in tablet prices, nearly 70% of schools were equipped with tablet computers by 2015. | |||
However, even deeper shifts were underway. As young people were raised in a world of increasing complexity and were learning at an [http://scenariothinking.org/wiki/index.php/Increasing_Rate_of_Learning accelerating pace], students began to significantly and noticeably out-pace their teachers by secondary school. Despite the introduction of technology into schools, students became increasingly disengaged and distracted by learning opportunities outside the classroom. There was a growing recognition that the authority figures in kids lives: teachers, parents, mentors, etc, were no longer the main source of information and learning. They had been replaced by the Internet which had evolved into students main source of learning. | |||
==2015-2020== | ==2015-2020== | ||
[[Image: | [[Image:virtual classroom.jpg|thumb|Virtual Classroom|200px]] | ||
The financial crisis and environmental catastrophes of the previous period were only the tip of the iceberg. Over the past decade, government budgets in the EU rapidly declined due to demographic shifts, challenges brought upon by [http://scenariothinking.org/wiki/index.php/Global_Warming_Threats climate change] and the curse of massive individual and [http://scenariothinking.org/wiki/index.php/Impact_of_the_European_sovereign_debt_crisis_on_education_spending sovereign debt][http://scenariothinking.org/wiki/index.php/Tailored_and_Alternative_Learning_Systems alternative education systems] to answer the fundamental question: How do children learn? Constructivist Learning Theories where students actively create their own learning experiences, and Connectivist Learning Theories, where computing and networks are integral, began to be accepted within the mainstream. At this point in time a new trend was obvious: more and more educators were diverging form the traditional teaching techniques. Meanwhile online learning applications and forums were increasing not only in number, but also in terms of specialization. Over one hundred wikis were available, each one specializing at a different sector or domain. Peer to peer learning and open textbooks (or more broadly, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_educational_resources Open Educational Resources]) were also seen as a way to further lower costs and to cope with the pace of learning. These forms of learning engaged students to become contributors in their own educational processes. Students themselves became a driving force in WHAT they learned. | |||
==2020-2025== | |||
[[Image:Virtual Kid.jpg|thumb|Virtual Kid|200px]] | |||
Further specialization in education that students received was also reinforced by corporations. Companies themselves were struggling to cope with the pace of technological innovations and began to collectively realize the value of self-directed leadership and personal passion as the main determinants for success. In addition, as companies increasingly sourced labor from networks of contracted free agents, specialization and expert knowledge become key. Spurred by the success of A-level pilot programs, companies developed new learning technologies to stimulate self-directed learning and formed [http://scenariothinking.org/wiki/index.php/Increasing_Online_Collaboration collaborative networks] to connect students to expert knowledge. Homeschooling was prevalent at the primary level, but at the secondary level, a variety of virtual and physical learning environments prevailed. Classrooms took a different form as kids gathered in communities of learners with common interests, and advanced [http://scenariothinking.org/wiki/index.php/Telecommunication_technology telecommunication technologies] made location based learning commonplace. Specialized apprenticeships also became commonplace, as companies courted the most motivated students at the secondary level. Students were given due recognition for their best ideas in virtual forums, much in the same way that scientists had been recognized for excellent contributions via peer communities. Students were motivated by recognition within their virtual and physical communities. Connected to a vast web of experts and peers, students created their own learning materials and increasingly directed their own paths. Students were mentored and authority figures provided reference points for students. However they were encouraged to find their passion and challenged to tackle real-world problems that authorities could not solve, at an increasingly early age. There is an irony in the fact that students had become more autonomous. Perhaps it was a shift to an earlier age, where society could not afford the luxury of education where long incubation periods were unheard of. As a result, students were increasingly seen as adults, needing to cope with the complex realities of the world much earlier in age. | |||
<h2> References </h2> | |||
Internet as teacher: http://www.taf.org/whistle287.htm <br> | |||
Virtual Classroom: http://isrc.infm.ulst.ac.uk/michael.html <br> | |||
Virtual Kid: http://weblogsurf.com/best-advertising-kids-virtual-worlds/ | |||