iSchools: Positive Changes in NYC

Certain instructional methods which I have mentioned in many of my previous blog postings, have recently been the subject of some positive publicity in the June issue of eSchool News. A new model being used in select NYC schools, called iSchools, seeks to integrate ‘innovative technology with project-based curriculum’ and early results indicate highly successful outcomes. In this model, groups of students utilize virtual resources on the internet to complete research projects and in doing so take pride in their work and ownership of final results. In this model, each student has his/her own laptop and access to a variety of online resources, which can be monitored by teachers and parents using a learning management system. These are all steps toward creating an environment in which time can be varied to accommodate the learner. As the student becomes more inclined to utilize technology and group-based project research, the skills gained will better prepare the student to enter post-secondary education and the 21st Century workforce.

eSchool News June

Time for 'Change' in K-12 Education

This is an opportune time for President-Elect Obama. His commitment to 'Change' must be applied in K-12 education.

No longer can we afford to lose more than 30% of our high school students to the dropout pool. No longer can we tolerate the outdated agrarian industrial model. No longer can we tinker around the edges substituting book A for book B or modifying a time dimension within a few courses. No longer can we afford to leave the structure and organization of K-12 education the same.

This is the moment - this is the time for real change in the public schools of this country. We have the knowledge, the tools and the necessary technology to create a positive learning environment for the 21st century. We can focus on the student as the class and offer individualized instruction based on students' different learning styles. We can vary time so that those who need more time to master a concept have the opportunity to do so. The concept advocated in this blog (initial and subsequent posts) should be implemented now while the momentum for educational change is with us. The organization and structure of our current K-12 system must be changed to accommodate all learners.

The need is obvious. The opportunity is here. The lives of young men and women, and the future of the United States of America, rest in our hands.

Engaging Students is Critical in the Age of Creativity

I recently read an article in T.H.E. Journal (March 2007) entitled Speak Up Survey: Is Technology Missing the Mark? by Dave Nagel. The nationwide survey polled approximately 270,000 students, teachers, and parents on "subjects ranging from technology, math, and science instruction to communications, collaboration, and self expression". The findings were very interesting.

The article quotes Julie Evans, CEO of the non-profit group Project Tomorrow-NetDay as saying that "[m]ost importantly, this survey shows that technology presents a unique opportunity to engage students in their core-curricular subjects, such as math and science, by providing them the high tech tools that raise their levels of interest in this coursework." Students also expressed interest in the integration of real-world problem solving, talking to professionals, and using multimedia and interactive simulations.

We, as educators, must prepare the youth of this country to creatively address problems and challenges -- some that may have happened before and others undoubtedly that will be unprecedented. We have gone through many ages as a nation and world: agricultural, industrial, technological, information, and now we must enter the age of creativity. Creativity involves imagination, innovation, and entrepreneurship along with reasoning, problem solving, and critical thinking. Listening, memorizing and regurgitating learned information is no longer sufficient. We need to do more in our schools through personalised education. And, in fact, it is time even for us to consider how to integrate the home environment into the fabric of the learning process.

T.H.E. Journal - Speak Up Survey: Is Technology Missing the Mark?