Will 2009 be the year…. ? Will 2009 mark the change we have been talking about for almost a decade now?
[here is a short video worth watching]
I know there are awesome examples out there, but I think we need more. And the examples we need to look at are not so much dependent on the technology, but on how our current society, which is inevitably growing digital and more connected, is pursing this technological change forward, by demanding more collaboration and close contact amongst their workers. It’s unrealistic to work in/for educational systems which choose to ignore the demands of the contemporaneous society.
Formal education, as it stands today, is less and less being regarded as a passport to the job market as in most cases it misses to prepare its ‘customers’ to ‘real life’. Hence, school has grown unpopular and in many cases regarded as dull, meaningless or even as a pointless interlude to the real thing. I don’t think education is a waste of time, but I agree it has ceased to inspire or being regarded as something interesting one would consider taking part in as a volunteer. It happens, mainly because, as individuals, we have been granted more autonomy in what and how we do things. In a way, we have grown more independent and also more responsible for our actions. We have (a bit more) power over what we do. We have also grown in a society which ‘tells’ us we have a willing and a saying in everything that concerns our existence. This does not comply with the educational systems which still rely on a top-down [I say - you listen to] philosophy, and leave no scope for learners to decide upon their learning.
Young kids are no longer content with plain answers which are ’spit out’ to convey unquestionable truths. Memorizing definitions and/or reading uncontextualized experts’ texts are not regarded as irrefutable resources for the questioning minds. These days, learners have questions and more than that they are not hesitant to demand answers. They have grown in social environments where people debate their point of views and share a diversity of backgrounds which enriches their experiences as individuals, as community members, as citizens…
How to engage learners is really the challenge of this century rather than the way information is acquired or knowledge developed… that’s just the ultimate result of the continuous task of helping the individual to feel he/she belongs to a given learning community. That calls for a participatory approach, for dedication to the individual, and a lot of listening to from all parties involved. That is exactly what the current teaching methodology still doesn’t regard as key of the teaching/learning activity. And that is also exactly what technology has helped create: a platform for conversation where questions are welcomed, where the search for answers becomes the natural learning exercise…where the individual gains a voice and the community’s value increases based on individual participation. Learning is a collaborative effort which relies simultaneously on individuals’ and group’s contribution(s).
The technology doesn’t come to replace anyone in the current educational structure, but it can help people do what they do better… probably in a different way.
Good and bad teaching has always existed. Good and bad learning experiences have always been reported. The technology per se will not solve any of this old problems, but it can raise awareness of what good teaching / learning is and how we all can be contribute to a better, more effective and pleasant relationship between learners and schools / educators, etc.
That is for me the real question: how the practice that happens in the real world can prompt the ‘educational institutional world’ to establish direct connections with that same world. I don’t think the role of the trainer/ teacher (educator) will stop to cease (they have a vital role in mentoring and guiding the learning path), nor will the role of institutions as an accreditation body fade away… provided they keep up with the pace of such a competitive society as it is ours these days…
Nevertheless, things have to change, and he most important aspect is the way teaching practice is conducted… that of course will involve a major change in strategy and policy, in educators and learners’ roles, in learning spaces (both face to face and online), in learning paces and times, and in the relationships established between instituions-individuals-society.
I look forward to your ideas concerning this subject.
Cristina Costa