Our
entire staff recently attended the Midwest Educational Technology
Conference held locally at the St. Charles Convention Center. This is
the 5th year we have attended the largest technology focused conference
on educational applications. SJLS views technology as a tool to engage
students in meaningful instruction. There were literally hundreds of
sectionals that opened up thinking about the future of education and how
technology impacts what happens in the classroom. A few of my
take-aways:
- Last years' conference had one sectional on a tablet applications , this year there were over 50...
- It took 10 months to reach 10 million tablet users through 12/11, it took Apple one month to sell another 10 million tablets between December 2011 and January 2012.
- Technology is a tool that can create things, not just access other people's information
- Ford Motor Company no longer puts CD players in cars because no one uses them
- The
biggest challenge for higher education is that students do not know how
to access information (information fluency). Education was once how
you presented information - now it is about accessing information.
Quote : "When you change what you believe, you change what you do." -John Carver - The US Army is re-writing training manuals for 2015 by moving away from drill sergeant mentality by rethinking instruction:
- Convert classroom experiences to collaborative problem-solving
- Tailor learning to more individualized approach
- Reduce instructor-led lectures
- Quote: "Shoot for where the puck is going - not where it is" Wayne Gretsky
- The future of education is a blended environment of inquiry and project-driven. Learning is anytime- anyplace 24/7.
- Don't ask questions that can be answered by Google
- Most local school districts are moving toward a 1-1 initiative of "bring your own" device because they can't handle the costs.
I
walked away from another two days with lots of thoughts and practical
solutions to the changing world of education. I appreciate the team
of educators that we have at SJLS and how they are open to being as
much of a learner as their students are.
