Thing #5

Time changes the world around us. We learn to adapt to the new culture. We learn to embrace the necessary technologies to survive in a technologically competitive universe. What we have yet to fully change is the way we educate our youth. Sure, we have begun to use computers in the classroom and boy do those students love using the SmartBoards. Still, for the most part schools have yet to recognize the power of social networking sites, cell phones, and other technologies students almost certainly use outside of the classroom.

Student 1: “Did you see the picture of Jane posted on facebook last night?”

Student 2: “Yes! I couldn’t believe my eyes!”

Now imagine if the conversation went more like this:

Student 1: “Did you see the combustion experiment Mr. Jones posted last night on the chemistry homepage?”

Student 2: “Yes! I couldn’t believe my eyes! It helped me understand the homework better too when I can see what actually happens. It’s a lot better than just reading the book.”

So the above example demonstrates where I’m coming from. The internet today, Web 2.0 is interactive. You can search, you can post, you can learn. It is no secret that interaction is hugely important to overall success in school and life. We cannot keep pretending that the traditional school will be able to prepare students for their future. I will admit they are adequately prepared for their past. I mean really…encyclopedias in the library? I promise you that by the end of their first semester in college students will be wondering why the spent so much time learning to use an encyclopedia when not a single college professor allows it as a resource. Why? Because the information is old. Printed information is old—its years old before it even goes to the publisher. Then the students will use those textbooks to learn old information that may actually be rivaled by current information.

School 2.0 is coming (I hope) because these students need to be prepared for the future. These students need to become active in their learning, and these teachers need to strike while the iron is hot. We need to think outside the box and begin to redefine how the internet can be used. We need to bring structured learning outside the classroom and not just hope that the students will learn how to incorporate technology on their own. We need to do what it takes and find the funding to make School 2.0 happen.

After all, if you build it, they will come.