the technology that was available when it was conceived and/or evolved =
and that the change in technology is going to evolve a new form of =
learning that will not be school. We have classrooms because the =
technology of the 19th and first 3/4 of the 20th century made that form =
of learning work. We cling to the classroom and the organization of =
control and validation in the face of 21 cenetury technology that has =
changed the essence of communication to one freed of time and space. Our =
last graduating classes were never ALIVE without the internet. We keep =
trying to force that new technology into old forms and it just doesn't =
fit!
=20
Norman Constantine
________________________________
From: A forum for independent school educators on behalf of Ross Lenet
Sent: Sat 8/30/2008 9:13 AM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: USB Drive Policy
> You're kidding, right? A policy on USB drives? Back in the "old days" =
did we
> have policies on floppy disks?
I'll up the ante on that sentiment. In 10 or 20 years or whatever we are
going to once again look back and realize how ridiculous it was to try =
to
limit student access to "technology." I submit that we have to stop =
trying
to "fight yesterday's war" and get with the program. For purposes of =
this
discussion I define "program" as the full range of devices used by the
modern kid: USB drives, mp3 players, PDA's and, yes, cell phones. (I'm
sure others could add to this list.)
To broaden the discussion a bit, I think there are at least two larger
issues here:
1. Will schools or individual teachers who eschew the tools of the =
modern
kid be seen as increasingly irrelevant to said kid?
2. How will the traditional bricks-and-mortar approach to education =
stand
up to the various social and technological forces at work, which =
possibly
include:
A. A shrinking and perhaps less qualified pool of teachers.
B. A world in which technology no longer requires students to be in the
same physical space in order for learning to take place.
To comment on point B, I just cannot believe that if the kinds of
technology that we have now and will have in the not-too-distant future
had been available when our current system of schools was in its =
infancy,
we would have designed the kind of bricks-and-mortar approach we have
today. If I were a betting person, I would bet that, in addition to =
points
A and B above, purely economic forces will force us to adopt an approach
to schooling that relies much more heavily on technology (including a =
full
range of distance-learning approaches). Whether that occurs in my
lifetime is an open question, I guess.
(By the way, I realize that I have probably expanded this discussion
beyond the scope of independent schoools per se.)
Ross Lenet
Sidwell Friends School, Washington, DC
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