The New Face of Learning
Here is an article by Will Richardson in edutopia. He writes the Read/Write Web blog that I point to every once in a while.
He writes here about the Read/Write Web and the changes that this brings to education (and society in general).
edutopia is an interesting, practice oriented online magazine/journal (I'm not sure how to classify it) from the George Lucas Educational Foundation. You should add this one to your reading list. They have quite a few good articles.
Labels:
article,
participatory web,
read write Web,
Web 2.0
2 comments:
Uau, I might become an edutopia fan, I find their articles very insightful and raising really important issues, like this particular one on the future of education and learning, as well as the role of technology in this process.
I do agree that learning in general is or should be a lifelong process and technology (the web) can provide the means and the motivation for it, by offering information in the most various areas of interests. I also think (and agree with the article's author) that offering students the resources is less useful than teaching them methodology, therefore how to find the necessary resources, as well as distinguish the trustworthy resources from the less reliable ones. But this kind of instruction, along with other type(s) of education that forms a nucleus of knowledge and skills needs an organized environment and the interaction with a more proficient person (i.e. the teacher). So, in my opinion, the "traditional classroom" should still have its place in children's education and learning, even if the latest trends bring the classroom and technology at very high levels of collaboration.
Sure, the traditional classroom (as a physical space) should still have a place in children's education. However, "traditional" meaning doing things the way that they have always been done, should fade away. I'm sure that you'd agree with that (which is why you put traditional classroom in quotes).
In my mind, lifelong learning really means learning without the boundaries set up by educational institutions, yet it may include the strategic use of these institutions. I try (though it is sometimes difficult to overcome years of dependence on the teacher) to prepare students to do it without me. That includes finding, planning, and implementing technologies for classroom use. If students rely on me, this class has no meaning outside of this semester. If they can go it alone...they'll teach for a lifetime (to borrow from a parable).
Dan
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