Here is a nice little info graphic that outlines the six emerging technologies mentioned in this, and my prior, post. We covered three of them in my last post and this post will continue with the final three.
I'll warn you that these next three are a bit esoteric and pretty radical when we think of education in terms of how you and me were brought up. I'm a product of the 50's educational environment, so just about anything that goes on today is pretty radical, I suppose.
The fourth emerging technology for education is "Open Content". It's been the evolution of the Internet that has allowed this to happen. It's not really a new idea because the original creation of the Internet was designed for easier collaboration among the scientific community. That's, simply, what teachers are doing today. The growth of resources created by teachers for teachers is growing exponentially. In fact, there are so many resources that some schools are creating their own repositories for organization and distribution purposes. In addition companies like Apple, Microsoft, Adobe and others have created their own resources that contain, for example, lesson plans and other tools that teachers can use in their classrooms. In addition there are user groups of teachers providing support for each other in virtually all disciplines of education.
The next emerging technology is pretty exciting. We all know that you and me learn in different ways. Back in my school years, if you didn't get it, "tough beans". Everyone was painted with the same brush. We have found out today from extensive research into the human brain and how it works, that we are all really pretty unique when it comes to learning. Learning Analytics (the fifth technology) literally watches a student while they learn and then "tailor-makes" their education as they are learning. It's really very similar to how Amazon works. You know how when you buy stuff, they make recommendations for other stuff you might like to buy based on your buying patterns. Folks have figured out we can do the same thing with education and learning. We can learn from a student, how they learn, and them teach to that particular skill set.
OK, get ready to have your mind blown. The last emerging technology is Personal Learning Environments. The role of the teacher is changing. You remember the old Chinese saying, "Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand."? Student centered learning environments, where the student takes responsibility for their own learning (supported, of course, by the teacher), will become the learning paradigm of the future. Small groups of students, working collaboratively together on projects that include aspects of what they need to learn (mathematics, physics, etc.) will be guided by teachers rather than instructed. Project based learning is a part of this concept and has been around for quite a while now. I used it when I taught computer classes, even before I heard about George Lucas' Edutopia project. If you want to see the future of education, visit that website.
The fourth emerging technology for education is "Open Content". It's been the evolution of the Internet that has allowed this to happen. It's not really a new idea because the original creation of the Internet was designed for easier collaboration among the scientific community. That's, simply, what teachers are doing today. The growth of resources created by teachers for teachers is growing exponentially. In fact, there are so many resources that some schools are creating their own repositories for organization and distribution purposes. In addition companies like Apple, Microsoft, Adobe and others have created their own resources that contain, for example, lesson plans and other tools that teachers can use in their classrooms. In addition there are user groups of teachers providing support for each other in virtually all disciplines of education.
The next emerging technology is pretty exciting. We all know that you and me learn in different ways. Back in my school years, if you didn't get it, "tough beans". Everyone was painted with the same brush. We have found out today from extensive research into the human brain and how it works, that we are all really pretty unique when it comes to learning. Learning Analytics (the fifth technology) literally watches a student while they learn and then "tailor-makes" their education as they are learning. It's really very similar to how Amazon works. You know how when you buy stuff, they make recommendations for other stuff you might like to buy based on your buying patterns. Folks have figured out we can do the same thing with education and learning. We can learn from a student, how they learn, and them teach to that particular skill set.
OK, get ready to have your mind blown. The last emerging technology is Personal Learning Environments. The role of the teacher is changing. You remember the old Chinese saying, "Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand."? Student centered learning environments, where the student takes responsibility for their own learning (supported, of course, by the teacher), will become the learning paradigm of the future. Small groups of students, working collaboratively together on projects that include aspects of what they need to learn (mathematics, physics, etc.) will be guided by teachers rather than instructed. Project based learning is a part of this concept and has been around for quite a while now. I used it when I taught computer classes, even before I heard about George Lucas' Edutopia project. If you want to see the future of education, visit that website.
So there you have it. Six technologies that are going to make education like nothing we ever had as kids.