As the global economy struggles to find firm footing, it is clear that what lies ahead will not resemble what we knew in the past. I read this week (Thomas Friedman, NY Times) that some are calling this stage of the global transition the “Big Shift.” Friedman writes that during this time there is “growing stress because we are trying to operate with old practices that are increasingly dysfunctional.” To a lesser degree, this big shift is an apt way to describe today’s schools. Educators are trying to figure out how to embrace the digital world and changing learning styles of students while working within a school system that (because of its structure) is not accommodating to change.
For the past several years our teachers have worked hard to utilize the power of the digital world in their classrooms and are doing so with varying degrees of success. On the one hand, I can point to successes such as what I heard in Seward on Thursday night where a student marveled at how a teacher is using a SmartBoard as a part of instruction. Also at this meeting, one of the teachers shared that the staff at school was aggressively utilizing digital tools to improve their craft. Another good example is from here in the central peninsula. Next week three of our high schools will share instruction through a video feed. The public can participate in this as well. But on the other hand, I am encountering several teachers who are frustrated at a lack of training in how to use digital tools and are generally unsure of how to best utilize the digital world where most of our students live.
As we continue to move forward with the inclusion of digital learning, we need to remove the archaic pieces of school structure that prevent us from getting to where we need to be. Does it make sense to separate students by age? Does it make sense to teach content to secondary students without any tie to the other courses? Should content be delivered digitally with the face-to-face time presereved for guided practice and discussion? Just a few of the structure related questions that educators are grappling with and in some cases answering.
The Big Shift
As the global economy struggles to find firm footing, it is clear that what lies ahead will not resemble what we knew in the past. I read this week (Thomas Friedman, NY Times) that some are calling this stage of the global transition the “Big Shift.” Friedman writes that during this time there is “growing stress because we are trying to operate with old practices that are increasingly dysfunctional.” To a lesser degree, this big shift is an apt way to describe today’s schools. Educators are trying to figure out how to embrace the digital world and changing learning styles of students while working within a school system that (because of its structure) is not accommodating to change.
For the past several years our teachers have worked hard to utilize the power of the digital world in their classrooms and are doing so with varying degrees of success. On the one hand, I can point to successes such as what I heard in Seward on Thursday night where a student marveled at how a teacher is using a SmartBoard as a part of instruction. Also at this meeting, one of the teachers shared that the staff at school was aggressively utilizing digital tools to improve their craft. Another good example is from here in the central peninsula. Next week three of our high schools will share instruction through a video feed. The public can participate in this as well. But on the other hand, I am encountering several teachers who are frustrated at a lack of training in how to use digital tools and are generally unsure of how to best utilize the digital world where most of our students live.
As we continue to move forward with the inclusion of digital learning, we need to remove the archaic pieces of school structure that prevent us from getting to where we need to be. Does it make sense to separate students by age? Does it make sense to teach content to secondary students without any tie to the other courses? Should content be delivered digitally with the face-to-face time presereved for guided practice and discussion? Just a few of the structure related questions that educators are grappling with and in some cases answering.