[Pibe-division] Educational Food for Thought: 21 Things That Will Be Obsolete by 2020

DrV pumpkinracer at gmail.com
Sat Dec 10 07:10:08 UTC 2011


A glimpse into the future? Here is this week’s “Principal's Message” from my
eldest son’s 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&id=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: ‘Our
concept of what a computer is’. Because computing is going mobile and over
the next decade we’re going to see the full fury of individualized
computing via handhelds come to the fore. Can’t 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 don’t need kids to ‘go to
school’ more; we need them to ‘learn’ 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 isn’t 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 hasn’t yet
figured out how to use tech to personalize learning will be the teacher out
of a job. Differentiation won’t make you ‘distinguished’; it’ll 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, it’s time you get over
yourself.



*8. PAPERBACKS*

Books were nice. In ten years’ time, all reading will be via digital means.
And yes, I know, you like the ‘feel’ of paper. Well, in ten years’ time
you’ll hardly tell the difference as ‘paper’ itself becomes digitized.



*9. ATTENDANCE OFFICES*

Bio scans. ‘Nuff 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 decade’s 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 ‘homebases’ 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 we’ll have finally woken up to the fact that there’s 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 years’ 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
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