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

Sun Dec 11 22:33:22 UTC 2011

Whoa, this is pretty wild!  I'm going to pass it 
along to all the teachers in my family.  I wonder 
if he'll turn out to be right!
Carol

Carol Castellano
President, Parents of Blind Children-NJ
Director of Programs
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
973-377-0976
carol_castellano at verizon.net
www.blindchildren.org
www.nopbc.org

At 02:08 AM 12/10/2011, you wrote:
>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
>
>
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