2020 Vision
My vision of the world in 2020 (wow, it is only twelve years away) is not that much different then how things are today. Hopefully life will be better…people will live longer, gas will be cheaper and kids will be better educated. But I believe that we will still be trying to, as we are today, struggling to find ways to live longer, find cheap gas, and better educate our children.
As I thought about this assignment, I felt that in order for me to more accurately predict what life and education will look like twelve years from now I first need to look at the past twelve years and examine how much the world has changed. Twelve years ago (1996) we did not have iPods or smart phones. Video games were very popular, especially with college kids (I have a vast amount of research in that particular area, specifically NHL ‘93.) Cell phones (40 million people had cell phones as compared to today…over 110 million) and home computers (42 million households had home computers as compared to today…over 70 million) were definitely getting more prevalent (1,2.)
There have definitely been some new technologies, but it seems like the main ones that we would use in education have been around for a while, except that more and more people have access to them. I see that trend continuing in general society as well as in education. We will continue to use what we have but expand on their use. Sure, new things will be invented and come about, but I think that more and more we will see our current technologies fused together. Think about it…take your computer, cell phone, iPod and digital camera. Mix them all together and you have the iPhone…and that is just the FIRST version of it. In 2020, we will probably have iPhone 5.0 complete with GPS, television, video camera, virtual credit cards and drivers licenses all in one device.
I remember when we had no computers in the classrooms, and I am only thirty six years old! Then we had those little Apple Macintosh’s and dot matrix printers. Now we have multiple computers as well as other technologies (SmartBoards, data projectors, etc.) And as these new technologies come along, we are continuing to figure out ways to use them in more efficient ways…ways to make our lives easier and richer. I see that happening in education as well in regards to learning and teaching. In this class we discovered and learned about a lot of web based technologies. These read/write web technologies were basically used to help bring all of us educators together in ways we have never before been able to do. From Google Reader to Del.icio.us and from Skype to weblogs, we can now connect with hundreds of thousands of educators and other resources like never before. The wikispaces group projects were excellent examples of how students from all over the country can work together and collaborate on learning. Though some of the social networking applications, like myspace, seem to be more trouble than they are worth, one can not discount their power and potential to bring people together. In 2020, blogs and various casts (pod, vod, screen) will not only be integrated, but I imagine that we will be able to view them in real time on our phones or whenever we want in our classrooms. I also think that television and computers will be more integrated than they are today. I am beginning to see some of that now, but I think it will increase as the years go on.
As far as teaching, I am looking forward to 2020 as a time when all students will have either some sort of laptop or phone to be connected to the content. Students and teachers will not only be more connected with each other, but also with fellow students and teachers. Students will be able to work with other students from anywhere in the world on learning projects and safely collaborate with experts. Teachers will offer courses that can be accessed by anyone at anytime, giving students more choices and flexibility. Assessments will, hopefully, be tailored to students learning styles and be authentic. Standardized tests will be long gone. Full access and full inclusion will be standard. Group work will be more valued than individual assessments. All children may not be proficient, but no child will ever be left behind.
As great as these technologies are, however, it is important to remember that these technologies, are in fact, merely tools. There was a time in the most ancient of history when humans wrote with burnt charcoal-tipped sticks on rocks…then some time down the line came pencils and papers…and now I am typing and you are reading digital words, along with the ability to display pictures and sounds on a high definition screen. In the past, people could only communicate with those in their physical area. Now, we can communicate with virtually anyone in the world at any time, for free! In some areas of learning (for example…basic math facts or things that are absolutes and do not change) it is not that these technologies produced much of a different result, but the avenue or vehicle to arrive at the result has changed for the better. However, for new things that are being realized (like cures to diseases or scientific theories) this new found, efficient and amazing communication helps to speed along learning and discovering at an incredible pace. I think that in 2020, we will be even more connected and have betters ways to collaborate. Like I have stated, I think that we will have a few “new inventions” that will surprise us all, but overall I think that we are going to have what we have now in better, more integrated, collaborative and connected packages.
Sources:
1. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/bam/www/numbers.html
2. http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/p23-208.pdf
I agree with everything you said. I think that 2020 will be just a very updated version of what we have today with a few new technological tools that will make life simpler.
You blew me away with the possibility that standardized tests will be eliminated. I can’t imagine!!! But, boy, I hope you are right!! That will benefit education for the better, most definitely!! I would like to take the letters P-S-S-A and eliminate them fromthe alphabet ( especially at this time of year!), so I am longing for your prediction to come true. Go 2020!!!
I don’t think we will be as worried about gas prices we won’t need it for our car,
I do agree with your updated version of now, but everthing will be smaller of course and have many functions instead of one.
I hope standardized test are abolished….Amen
I hope you not right. It seems sad on this last assignment to disagree so strongly, but I hope education looks much different in 2020! I hope that all students are learning what they need to learn to be contributing citizens. I hope our best and brightest are finding those ways that Americans be the creative power of the world. I hope we have found a way to solve the problems of the world…hunger, global warming, world peace. We have been educating students for the past century who have been trying to solve these problems in the same ways for the past century to no avail. We need to change the way we think and the way we lead and the way we teach in order to educate the people who will solve these problems. No body says remember “the pen is just a tool” or “the book is just a tool.” We have new tools! Let’s not ask them to act like a pencil and a book.
How true? The more the things change the more they stay the same. Unless we are strucken by a global change I think the three things you stated will always be true. I think everyone is looking to better educate its children (or at least the smarter ones), more effciient/cheaper fuel, and ways to staive off death. But in the long run we are “wired” a specific way and the overall learning process will still need the human experience to be effective.
I agree Mike, that things in education are not that different. I currently work with teachers who are using the same methods as the teachers who taught me in the 50’s and 60’s. I would hedge my bets, too, that “life will be better…people will live longer, gas will be cheaper and kids will be better educated.” In fact, I am afraid that things might get much worse before they get better. America needs to have a common goal and hunger to be in a better position than our parents were. Instead, we are striving to lead the world in obesity.
I don’t think we need to wait until 2020 to have the technology created that will allow all of us to be connected around the world. Neither do we need to need to wait until that technology becomes affordable. What has to change is the mindsets of the leaders of our school systems, who seem to be entrenched in traditional methods. When the current generation replaces those in leadership positions, then our educational systems have some hope of making progress.
You are correct about basic math not changing. What needs to change, however, is the way we make math relevant to our students, by incorporating math into meaningful projects that have social implications. Rather than teaching geometry students to do formal proofs (anyone remember “modus tollens”?), we need to have them become involved with designing temporary shelters that can be assembled quickly and cheaply.
Great comments Mike…I really liked your comments regarding assessments and standardized testing. This is definitely an area that needs to be addressed, hopefully it will not take until the year 2020 to see that happen. All of this talk of change has reminded me of the wise words of one of our recently retired colleagues…Here is an excerpt of his final email to our faculty!
I’ve seen education evolve too. I remember when special ed was special. I saw non readers become readers with the help of my close friend Dennis Weist. I watched the open classroom die before my eyes, and I saw walls replace open spaces. I remember when teachers were actually encouraged to use textbooks, and audio visual materials, films and videos, were integral parts of instruction.
So much has changed and will continue to change. Therefore I have created “Mike’s Advice to All You Young Whippersnappers!
1. Be able to laugh……..if you can’t, you will be crying a lot!
2. Work hard, put in those long hours……but know when its time to stop. You may be a star……..a shooting star.
3. If you work long enough, what goes around comes around……..the open classroom of the ’60s is back behind the mask of differentiated instruction…. Could pull out classes be far behind???
4. Be a sponge…..take everything in. BUt be able to wring out the old and take in the new. Sometimes you should wring out the new and bring back the old!!!!
5. Talk to your colleagues. No one will better understand the joys and tribulations of teaching.
The flexibility that these tools will eventually bring to all classrooms is an exciting idea. Your statment on how teachers’ courses will be accessible from anywhere at anytime will help promote this. Yes, these are all tools which we use to learn but hopefully they will help all students become motivated and lifelong learners as time passes on.