Whenever we think of the future, we think of flying cars, robots and communication with distant galaxies. But do we ever really stop and think about how the future will be like in regards to Education? I know I haven’t really. Taking this course has really made me think about it a lot. Will we all be like the floaty people in Wall-E? Not with the bloated bodies and the flipper-like appendages. I mean will we all become so dependent on technology that all face-to-face interaction will be limited to interacting through computer or TV screens? Can you imagine what schools would be like if this was to become the norm? There would be no need for classrooms or schools. Recently there has been the development of a robot that plays hockey. Will there be robots that teach as well? The horror of it!
Anyway. That’s just me thinks going off on an extreme tangent. Can you tell I like science fiction?
Reading the 2012 Horizon Report, I grew increasingly alarmed as I got further and further into the “horizon”’s. While I do agree that technology is a great thing, it just makes me sad that more traditional approaches to teaching will become virtually extinct. Maybe it’s the old-fashioned in me, but I like the idea of a classroom filled with students who interact with each other and interact with their teacher. But then again, I’m a people-person who thrives off of interacting with real people so maybe it’s just me. While the tools and apps in the Horizon report are pretty awe-inspiring (I especially like the Gesture Based Computing idea because it reminds me of those spy-movies where they all have high-tech computers and just wave their hands around in the air to press buttons and such), it makes me sad. I think that in the near future, maybe in five years, technology will be at it’s peak in education. There will be a perfect balance of tech and traditional teaching in the classroom, the perfect combination so to say. After that, I’m afraid that it will be all about technology and learning, and not so much about the social and creative aspects of teaching.
All this technology isn’t bad, but will writing by hand become a lost art? Will it become obsolete to create art and music with your own hands? Will everything have a computer chip? Coffee mugs will record how much coffee you drink in a day, chairs will record how long you sit in a certain amount of time, beds will record your amount of sleeping time. Will we, as humans, forget how to use common sense?
I’m going off on a tangent again. I guess what I’m saying is will creativity be lost? Teachers have to be creative to think about ways to teach students in ways that will engage them. Even more so right now with the increase in technological tools in the classroom. But when will technology take over completely? Already, kids today spend more time on their phones, computers and playing games. Studies have shown that kids today are so over-stimulated by graphics that anything other than TVs or computers is not enough to keep kids interested and engaged for long periods of time.
Technology is wonderful, but it’s not everything.
Although, I love the tablets. I wish I had one (at least an e-reader), then I could download all my books and textbooks into it and lighten the load in my bag.
Sylvia, I really like this post because I virtually feel the same way about all this as you do. You sum it up well with your line near the end; it really is wonderful, but it's not everything.
ReplyDeleteI think although things are shifting towards technologically-based EVERYTHING, something has to be said for the traditional way of learning. I mean, we turned out alright, didn't we? And our parents and grandparents, they seem alright to me!
I wonder how much change I will see in my lifetime. My dad didn't even have running water for part of his childhood, and he now cruises the web on a netbook. HUGE change. Anyway, something I often think about. Good post!
What you ladies say is very true. In fact I started to do some work for a school assignment using pen/paper tonight and I really couldn't stand it....it seemed so messy and if I made a mistake I had to start the whole thing over. I eventually turned back to the computer where everything was neat and deleteable...kind of sad, I used to love pen/paper work. Hopefully we can find and keep that perfect balance throughout our careers....and you never know all of the horrible fashions and music seems to repeat it self over and over, maybe education will follow the same patterns!
ReplyDeleteYour conversation is great - it reminds me of a quote by (you will like this, Sylvia) science fiction master Arthur C. Clarke (think 2001: A Space Odyssey). He wrote - something like "If a teacher can be replaced by a machine, he (she) should be". In other words, what teachers bring is the social, the personal, the humanity - this course is all about technology - but it is the human interaction, discussion (& snacks!) that make the course fun, exciting and meaningful. (at least I hope you find it that way!)
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