[blindkid] Educational Food for Thought: 21 Things That Will Be Obsolete by 2020

[DrV]

A glimpse into the future? Here is this week¹s ³Principal's Message² from my
eldest son¹s high school newsletter:
 
Principal's Message
 
December 2, 2012
 
My daughter Katie will be starting her senior year in the fall of 2020.  She
is only in the 3rd grade now, but has an email account, which she regularly
uses to communicate with her teacher about homework.  I often think about
how different her educational experience is from what mine was.  She uses
her iPad to go over math concepts and reads her books through a Kindle app.
 
I often wonder how different her high school experience will be from what I
experience now.  This summer I stumbled upon this article online.  While not
expert in any way, it is an interesting opinion on where we are possibly
headed.  What a better way to end the year than looking toward the future.
 
21 Things That Will Be Obsolete By 2020
<http://mbusd.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=b50ae2c8e9e6deded6721ac75&i
d=e621027afb&e=fbd6a8086f>
Shelly Blake-Plock
 
1. DESKS
The 21st century does not fit neatly into rows. Neither should your
students. Allow the network-based concepts of flow, collaboration, and
dynamism help you rearrange your room for authentic 21st century learning.
 
2. LANGUAGE LABS
Foreign language acquisition is only a smartphone away. Get rid of those
clunky desktops and monitors and do something fun with that room.
 
3. COMPUTERS
Ok, so this is a trick answer. More precisely this one should read: ŒOur
concept of what a computer is¹. Because computing is going mobile and over
the next decade we¹re going to see the full fury of individualized computing
via handhelds come to the fore. Can¹t wait.
 
4. HOMEWORK
The 21st century is a 24/7 environment. And the next decade is going to see
the traditional temporal boundaries between home and school disappear. And
despite whatever Secretary Duncan might say, we don¹t need kids to Œgo to
school¹ more; we need them to Œlearn¹ more. And this will be done 24/7 and
on the move (see #3).
 
5. THE ROLE OF STANDARDIZED TESTS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
The AP Exam is on its last legs. The SAT isn¹t far behind. Over the next ten
years, we will see Digital Portfolios replace test scores as the #1 factor
in college admissions.
 
6. DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION AS A SIGN OF DISTINGUISHED TEACHER
The 21st century is customizable. In ten years, the teacher who hasn¹t yet
figured out how to use tech to personalize learning will be the teacher out
of a job. Differentiation won¹t make you Œdistinguished¹; it¹ll just be a
natural part of your work.
 
7. FEAR OF WIKIPEDIA
Wikipedia is the greatest democratizing force in the world right now. If you
are afraid of letting your students peruse it, it¹s time you get over
yourself.
 
8. PAPERBACKS
Books were nice. In ten years¹ time, all reading will be via digital means.
And yes, I know, you like the Œfeel¹ of paper. Well, in ten years¹ time
you¹ll hardly tell the difference as Œpaper¹ itself becomes digitized.
 
9. ATTENDANCE OFFICES
Bio scans. ŒNuff said.
 
10. LOCKERS
A coat-check, maybe.
 
11. I.T. DEPARTMENTS
Ok, so this is another trick answer. More subtly put: IT Departments as we
currently know them. Cloud computing and a decade¹s worth of increased wifi
and satellite access will make some of the traditional roles of IT ‹
software, security, and connectivity ‹ a thing of the past. What will IT
professionals do with all their free time? Innovate. Look to tech
departments to instigate real change in the function of schools over the
next twenty years.
 
12. CENTRALIZED INSTITUTIONS
School buildings are going to become Œhomebases¹ of learning, not the
institutions where all learning happens. Buildings will get smaller and
greener, student and teacher schedules will change to allow less people on
campus at any one time, and more teachers and students will be going out
into their communities to engage in experiential learning.
 
13. ORGANIZATION OF EDUCATIONAL SERVICES BY GRADE
Education over the next ten years will become more individualized, leaving
the bulk of grade-based learning in the past. Students will form peer groups
by interest and these interest groups will petition for specialized
learning. The structure of K-12 will be fundamentally altered.
 
14. EDUCATION SCHOOLS THAT FAIL TO INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGY
This is actually one that could occur over the next five years. Education
Schools have to realize that if they are to remain relevant, they are going
to have to demand that 21st century tech integration be modeled by the very
professors who are supposed to be preparing our teachers.
 
15. PAID/OUTSOURCED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
No one knows your school as well as you. With the power of a PLN
(professional learning networks) in their back pockets, teachers will rise
up to replace peripatetic professional development gurus as the source of
school wide professional development programs. This is already happening.
 
16. CURRENT CURRICULAR NORMS
There is no reason why every student needs to take however many credits in
the same course of study as every other student. The root of curricular
change will be the shift in middle schools to a role as foundational content
providers and high schools as places for specialized learning.
 
17. PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE NIGHT
Ongoing parent-teacher relations in virtual reality will make parent-teacher
conference nights seem quaint. Over the next ten years, parents and teachers
will become closer than ever as a result of virtual communication
opportunities. And parents will drive schools to become ever more tech
integrated.
 
18. TYPICAL CAFETERIA FOOD
Nutrition information + handhelds + cost comparison = the end of $3.00 bowls
of microwaved mac and cheese. At least, I so hope so.
 
19. OUTSOURCED GRAPHIC DESIGN AND WEB DESIGN
You need a website/brochure/promo/etc.? Well, for goodness sake just let
your kids do it. By the end of the decade ‹ in the best of schools ‹ they
will be.
 
20. HIGH SCHOOL ALGEBRA 1
Within the decade, it will either become the norm to teach this course in
middle school or we¹ll have finally woken up to the fact that there¹s no
reason to give algebra weight over statistics and I.T. in high school for
non-math majors (and they will have all taken it in middle school anyway).
 
21. PAPER
In ten years¹ time, schools will decrease their paper consumption by no less
than 90%. And the printing industry and the copier industry and the paper
industry itself will either adjust or perish.
 
Go MUSTANGS! 
Ben Dale 
Principal 
Mira Costa High School