BP22_2009111_Discussion Board_Anti-Teaching

Retroactively posting Discussion Board entry to blog:

Week 1 - Discussion Board - Anti-Teaching

• Based on the assumption that the educational systems as we know them do not work for the vast majority of the students moving through them, what would work?
I am unsure about the validity of the statement that "the educational systems as we know them do not work for the vast majority of the students moving through them". Traditional learning systems do their best to deliver the bulk of information to the majority of the learners in the most efficient and effective way possible. This is usually in the format of a group lecture, where all students are receiving the same information at the same time. This may no longer be practical, as the learning results are not as high as desired overall for the group. Now that we have available methods to easily and reasonably deliver more customized solutions, sending more targeted information to each individual student is possible, and may be more effective.

• Are virtual learning environments with course management systems the answer?
Personalizing the learning environment for each student, or allowing this individualization, poses significant challenges for the instructor and the school system. A prime example is our own experience in this class. Our “Personalized Learning Environments” are structured by the teacher in order to facilitate and simplify the evaluation and grading of these student portal sites. While some individualization is allowed (colors/themes, additional widgets/gadgets), the bulk of the setup has been pre-determined and standardized. Keeping a coordination between the “official” and “personal” learning environments will be an ongoing challenge.

• What about PLEs and Web 2.0 tools? Is technology itself enough?
I think that having too much individuality in designing one’s own learning environment creates too much open-ended choice, and not enough instructional guidance and direction. Similar to school uniforms, which take an element of choice out of the student’s experience, they also remove those decisions and distractions from a student’s preparation for school and minimizes interactions (fashion, style, preference) that might distract attention from school-related topics.

• What are the key components you would include in new schools?
For new schools, staying as current with 21st century technology tools that are used outside of the education arena in homes and workplaces is a critical factor to student success in having an integrated learning opportunity both within and outside of classes.

• What are the key components for 21st century schools and “learning beyond the test"?
Critical thinking and decision-making skills should be the goals for modern schools to build students that are well-equipped for life outside of the classroom.