LearningTimes Green Room

In this epsiode, Susan and Dan reflect on the recent online conference on The Future of Education.

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Show Notes:

Susan and Dan review the Future of Education online conference, June 4-8, organized by George Siemens and hosted by the University of Manitoba’s Learning Technologies Centre. The conference site and information can be found here.

It’s never too late to benefit since the discussions and presentations are archived!

As Dan and Susan discuss they key points they got from the conference, keep in mind that they participated in distinctly different ways. Susan attended the live sessions, and Dan followed the asynchronous discussions.

Where do you think education will be 10 years from now? Most active discussion. Emerging theme on home schooling. This became an international issue. Another point was visible community learning, having one place for learning in a community. In general, moving education away from formalized structure into less formal means.

Susan reflected on a point she hadn’t thought about before, brought out in the keynote by Sugata Mitra. It’s the people without money and resources that need the technology, not those of us who have the money and the technology. He gave several examples she enjoyed (especially as an ESL teacher).

Dan recommends we follow this link to read more about a program in Bangalore he read about in the discussions. The term was “slow learning.”

Virginia Yonkers’ good question: How can we prepare students without using technology how to live in a technological world?

Susan also attended a session by Cheri Toledo and her colleagues on preparing future teachers to use technology. How do we teach students to use technology and then what do we do to support them once they graduate? Several different models were shared. Key points: focus more on pedagogy and move away from teacher-centered practice.

Much discussion about technology in emerging or developing countries and what pedagogical models might work.

Future of education map by Knowledge Works foundation. What are the forces that will affect the future of education? This led to quite a discussion about the “end of cyberspace” The physical and emotional component of learning will not be artificially separated between the physical and virtual worlds.

That supports the idea of the personal side of learning, which was another key theme.

Jay Cross raised the question of why we’re continuing to do more research and not just acting (as business does). Also, preparation of students and the skills needed in the workplace.

The cross-continental discussions and clarification of vocabulary were interesting reads.

Interesting parallel between education in the web 2.0 world and the medieval world. Blogs are like common places (not like commons). Susan’s observations of what’s happening in online learning supports the idea of students seeking out teachers and not just going to a classroom.

Susan learned the phrase “the third place” and hopes listeners will come back to share their ideas about the future of education.

You can respond using the “Comments” link below or talk to us in LearningTimes. Or call us at 1-800-609-9006 x8055 (US and Canada) or 678-255-2174 x8055 (outside US and Canada). Join us!

In this brief program, hosts Susan and Dan ask listeners to share ways they make their own classrooms more learner-centered. Whether you are teaching three year-olds or third year law students, and whether your instruction is face-to-face or online, Susan and Dan want to hear from you and will feature your ideas on a future show.

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You can respond using the “Comments” link below or talk to us in LearningTimes. Or call us at 1-800-609-9006 x8055 (US and Canada) or 678-255-2174 x8055 (outside US and Canada). Join us!

In this show, Susan and Dan review the Thomas Friedman book The World is Flat, discuss how it relates to education and online learning, and invite listener feedback.

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Show Notes:

Susan and Dan finally read The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman and thought they should review it. Yes, the book is 2 years old. The book created a real buzz and continues to be featured in good teachers’ work. Check out the collaborative project organized by teachers Vickie Davis and Julie Lindsay. (After the fact, we understand they’re moving even wider this year and involving more schools!)

In many more than 3 sentences, Dan gives the basic layout of the book. Three parts: history, what it means for education and the attitude the US should adopt in trying to relate to the rest of the world.

Susan focused on the middle part of the book and the theme of what this means for education. Dan was equally alarmed at the information regarding math, science and research.

Susan also found the three kinds of future successful people interesting: 1) those who are exceptional, 2) those who are anchored and need to be present and in person to do their jobs. Susan wonders what that means for future teachers if anything that can be digitized will be, and could be done by someone elsewhere for less money and possibly better. You can’t be mediocre and survive.

The new middle, those who will survive, must be adaptable, capable of learning new things and collaborative. People who can explain things will be valued as will leveragers, those who can make themselves indispensable.

What does all this mean for tomorrow’s teachers? Find ways to teach using the flatteners (digital pieces or tools).

How about the deficit in science and math achievements in US school children? Dan talks about a school where he used to work and how well it did in removing barriers to student learning by making it possible for students to explore their passions. Mentoring was a big piece of that.

Susan points out that while Friedman did include parents as part of the solution, his view was very middle class American culturally and may not be widely supported.

How does this relate to online learning? If anything that can be digitized will be, who might teach my class in the future? Dan might be inspired to try new strategies and collaborate, but Susan thinks many faculty will feel threatened.

Are we creating an environment of a hopeful future? That’s the end of the book. Dan was able to put this into his work context.

Despite a feeling of dread in the center of the book, Susan saw this book as underscoring the need to explain to today’s college students the relevancy of the skills you may be trying to develop in them, as well as the need for them to be excellent (mediocrity won’t work).

In the future, Dan and Susan hope to bring a couple additional voices into this discussion. In the meantime, we’d like to hear if you have read the book, what you thought of it and how it influences what you do as a teacher.

You can respond using the “Comments” link below or talk to us in LearningTimes. Or call us at 1-800-609-9006 x8055 (US and Canada) or 678-255-2174 x8055 (outside US and Canada). Join us!