Rethinking a Technology Dominated World

Oooh...that last chapter.

After reading the last chapter of Rethinking Education in the Age of Techonology, I am full of many, many reactions, notions, and feelings. Overall, I agree the current system of the institution of school needs to change in big ways for it to be more effective; however, I whole-heartedly resist the idea that the place and purpose of "school" will one day be inneffective and pointless. I do no like the idea of certificates and of students choosing to work versus continuing thier education as soon as middle school. (The suggestion of an eigth grade understanding of math is a joke...right? I hope so.) There is a great benefit to being exposed to, challenged, and required to develop an understanding of a variety of broad topics. The challenge is making interesting and meaningful. 

The sentence which means the most to me is, "The rethinking of education that we promote with this book should aim towards strategies that provide access to the new educational resources for everyone in society, and give people the motivation to take advantage of these resources. This demands rethinking education not in isolation, but considering the interplay of society, education, and learning" (pg 129). I love this sentence; however, the vision and direction the authors see is nothing like my own. I agree in attempting to incorporate technology as a supplemental, engaging, and useful tool/resource, but I will always emphasize the importance of individual thought and contemplation before "asking and searching" for the answer online. The ability to search, evaluate, and decipher informational sources should be emphasized as well due to the increasing diversity and amounts of information available, but becuase I recognize the potential for abusive and inappropriate uses of many forms of technology, I will emphasize and model moderation and responsible utilization.

Interactive Learning Communities

Also, it is my goal to engage students with the material which interests them, but within the required content areas I teach. I will allow as much leeway as possible, but in the end, student focus should be upon a variety of material content. This is a challenge, but is very possible through creative and flexible assessments which utilize individual student interests and strengths. Furthermore, I believe that by attempting to and finding ways to incorportate parents/guardians and other community members into the learning process, relevance of material through opinoins and express creates itself. If recognizable figures and members of students' lives have reactions, thoughts, and feelings about material, then so too will students, even if only on a much smaller level. It is my goal to create an interactive learning community between myself, students, parents/guardians, and larger communities. In this way, I will make learning real.

Habits of Mind

1) From what viewpoint are we seeing, reading, or hearing this?
2) How do we know what we know? What's the evidence, and how reliable is it?
3) How are things, events, or people connected? What is the cause and effect? How do they fit?
4) What if...? Could things be other-wise? What are the alternatives?
5) So what? Why does it matter? What does it all mean? Who cares?

These are an incredible series of questions which all people should ponder at all times. I will incorporate something similar into everthing I attempt to teach.