Commentary on why focusing too much on "21st Century Skills" may not be useful or practical, followed by suggestions of how we can look at emerging trends in the very near future to help prepare students for their near future.
Stop Talking About 21st Century Skills (and What to Do Instead)
1. Stop Talking
About 21st
Century Skills
...and What To Do Instead
Jon Tanner, Oregon Schools Technology Director
WiscNet Third Thursday
September 20, 2012
15. Google Image Result for http://education.apple.com/acot2/global/images/diagram_6_principles.jpg. (n.d.). Retrieved July 3, 2012,
from http://http://education.apple.com/acot2/principles/
16. Google Image Result for http://education.apple.com/acot2/global/images/diagram_6_principles.jpg. (n.d.). Retrieved July 3, 2012,
from http://http://education.apple.com/acot2/principles/
17. Oregon
“For technology to have
lasting positive results on
learning, professional
development must result in
teachers being able to use
technology to transform
instruction and incorporate
21st Century Skills.”
-Oregon School District
22. “By 1950, every
street in London
buried in 9 feet of
manure.”
-London Times
23. Lord Kelvin’s Predictions
1890-95
•Radio has no future
•X-Rays will prove to
be a hoax
•Heaver-than-air
flying machines are
impossible
24.
25.
26. “I expect that within the next
five years more than one in ten
people will wear head-mounted
computer displays while
traveling in buses, trains, and
planes.”
-Nicholas Negroponte, Wired 1.06, Dec
1993, p. 136
27. Prediction
The Future Death Taxes
100
Accuracy Rate
75
50
25
0
5 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Years into the future
32. 2000 2012
Al Gore is Vice President and narrowly
loses Presidential race
33. 2000 2012
Al Gore is Vice President and narrowly Al Gore is award-winning
loses Presidential race environmentalist and filmmaker
34. 2000 2012
Al Gore is Vice President and narrowly Al Gore is award-winning
loses Presidential race environmentalist and filmmaker
USS Cole is bombed and nobody has
heard of Osama Bin Laden
35. 2000 2012
Al Gore is Vice President and narrowly Al Gore is award-winning
loses Presidential race environmentalist and filmmaker
Osama Bin Laden is the most
USS Cole is bombed and nobody has
infamous person on earth, even
heard of Osama Bin Laden
while dead.
36. 2000 2012
Al Gore is Vice President and narrowly Al Gore is award-winning
loses Presidential race environmentalist and filmmaker
Osama Bin Laden is the most
USS Cole is bombed and nobody has
infamous person on earth, even
heard of Osama Bin Laden
while dead.
Internet giant AOL purchases Time
Warner
37. 2000 2012
Al Gore is Vice President and narrowly Al Gore is award-winning
loses Presidential race environmentalist and filmmaker
Osama Bin Laden is the most
USS Cole is bombed and nobody has
infamous person on earth, even
heard of Osama Bin Laden
while dead.
Internet giant AOL purchases Time AOL has been sold off by Time Warner
Warner now, worth only 10% of what it was.
38. 2000 2012
Al Gore is Vice President and narrowly Al Gore is award-winning
loses Presidential race environmentalist and filmmaker
Osama Bin Laden is the most
USS Cole is bombed and nobody has
infamous person on earth, even
heard of Osama Bin Laden
while dead.
Internet giant AOL purchases Time AOL has been sold off by Time Warner
Warner now, worth only 10% of what it was.
You could get on an airplane without
removing your shoes, and could even
bring food and drinks with you. There is
no such thing as the department of
Homeland Security or the TSA.
39. 2000 2012
Al Gore is Vice President and narrowly Al Gore is award-winning
loses Presidential race environmentalist and filmmaker
Osama Bin Laden is the most
USS Cole is bombed and nobody has
infamous person on earth, even
heard of Osama Bin Laden
while dead.
Internet giant AOL purchases Time AOL has been sold off by Time Warner
Warner now, worth only 10% of what it was.
You could get on an airplane without
removing your shoes, and could even Air travel is one step up from a
bring food and drinks with you. There is Greyhound bus, except you maintain
no such thing as the department of some privacy on a bus.
Homeland Security or the TSA.
40. 2000 2012
Al Gore is Vice President and narrowly Al Gore is award-winning
loses Presidential race environmentalist and filmmaker
Osama Bin Laden is the most
USS Cole is bombed and nobody has
infamous person on earth, even
heard of Osama Bin Laden
while dead.
Internet giant AOL purchases Time AOL has been sold off by Time Warner
Warner now, worth only 10% of what it was.
You could get on an airplane without
removing your shoes, and could even Air travel is one step up from a
bring food and drinks with you. There is Greyhound bus, except you maintain
no such thing as the department of some privacy on a bus.
Homeland Security or the TSA.
Vouchers and magnet schools are hot
topics, as well as some idea of
“cyber-schools.”
41. 2000 2012
Al Gore is Vice President and narrowly Al Gore is award-winning
loses Presidential race environmentalist and filmmaker
Osama Bin Laden is the most
USS Cole is bombed and nobody has
infamous person on earth, even
heard of Osama Bin Laden
while dead.
Internet giant AOL purchases Time AOL has been sold off by Time Warner
Warner now, worth only 10% of what it was.
You could get on an airplane without
removing your shoes, and could even Air travel is one step up from a
bring food and drinks with you. There is Greyhound bus, except you maintain
no such thing as the department of some privacy on a bus.
Homeland Security or the TSA.
Vouchers and magnet schools are hot Online learning is easily accessible,
topics, as well as some idea of and is required by some states.
“cyber-schools.”
42. 2000 2012
Al Gore is Vice President and narrowly Al Gore is award-winning
loses Presidential race environmentalist and filmmaker
Osama Bin Laden is the most
USS Cole is bombed and nobody has
infamous person on earth, even
heard of Osama Bin Laden
while dead.
Internet giant AOL purchases Time AOL has been sold off by Time Warner
Warner now, worth only 10% of what it was.
You could get on an airplane without
removing your shoes, and could even Air travel is one step up from a
bring food and drinks with you. There is Greyhound bus, except you maintain
no such thing as the department of some privacy on a bus.
Homeland Security or the TSA.
Vouchers and magnet schools are hot Online learning is easily accessible,
topics, as well as some idea of and is required by some states.
“cyber-schools.”
New-fangled MP3s and Napster are
big. Nobody has ever heard of an iPod.
43. 2000 2012
Al Gore is Vice President and narrowly Al Gore is award-winning
loses Presidential race environmentalist and filmmaker
Osama Bin Laden is the most
USS Cole is bombed and nobody has
infamous person on earth, even
heard of Osama Bin Laden
while dead.
Internet giant AOL purchases Time AOL has been sold off by Time Warner
Warner now, worth only 10% of what it was.
You could get on an airplane without
removing your shoes, and could even Air travel is one step up from a
bring food and drinks with you. There is Greyhound bus, except you maintain
no such thing as the department of some privacy on a bus.
Homeland Security or the TSA.
Vouchers and magnet schools are hot Online learning is easily accessible,
topics, as well as some idea of and is required by some states.
“cyber-schools.”
New-fangled MP3s and Napster are 304 million iPods, 180 million
big. Nobody has ever heard of an iPod. iPhones, 70 million iPads sold.
45. 2000 2012
PowerMac G4
400 MHz CPU
128 MB RAM
2 USB ports (+ 3 Firewire)
10/100 Ethernet
SXGA video (1600 x 1200)
Weight: 29 lbs.
46. 2000 2012
PowerMac G4 Raspberry Pi (Model B)
400 MHz CPU 700 MHz CPU
128 MB RAM 256 MB RAM
2 USB ports (+ 3 Firewire) 2 USB ports
10/100 Ethernet 10/100 Ethernet
SXGA video (1600 x 1200) HDMI video (1920 x 1200)
Weight: 29 lbs. Weight: 8 oz.
47. 2000 2012
PowerMac G4 Raspberry Pi (Model B)
400 MHz CPU 700 MHz CPU
128 MB RAM 256 MB RAM
2 USB ports (+ 3 Firewire) 2 USB ports
10/100 Ethernet 10/100 Ethernet
SXGA video (1600 x 1200) HDMI video (1920 x 1200)
Weight: 29 lbs. Weight: 8 oz.
$2,499
48. 2000 2012
PowerMac G4 Raspberry Pi (Model B)
400 MHz CPU 700 MHz CPU
128 MB RAM 256 MB RAM
2 USB ports (+ 3 Firewire) 2 USB ports
10/100 Ethernet 10/100 Ethernet
SXGA video (1600 x 1200) HDMI video (1920 x 1200)
Weight: 29 lbs. Weight: 8 oz.
$2,499 $35
57. These changes happened while
today’s graduating class was
in school.
Don’t even bother predicting
more than a few years.
Let’s stop calling them “21st
Century” Skills, and just
call them “Skills.”
58. 3. Focusing too
much on “21st
Century” skills
can make us lose
sight of timeless
values.
66. “2015 is the year in which each and every
student in America’s K12 public school
system will have a mobile device to use
for curricular purposes, 24/7.”
-Cathleen Norris and Elliot
Soloway. District
Administration Magazine,
July/August 2012
67. “The total number of Macs sold
is 122 million. In 2011 alone, if
you tally up all the iOS devices
including iPods and iPads, 156
million were sold—more than
all Macs ever sold. In one year.”
Source: Chart: In Four Years, Apple Sold More iPhones Than All Macs Ever |
TechCrunch. (n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2012, from http://techcrunch.com/2012/02/16/
apple-sold-more-iphones-than-macs-ever/
70. 3 Lessons Banning Cell
Phones Teaches Kids
- Will Richardson, on his blog: Weblogg-ed » “I lost something very important to me.” (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2012, from http://
weblogg-ed.com/2007/i-lost-something-very-important-to-me/
71. 3 Lessons Banning Cell
Phones Teaches Kids
1. It teaches them that they
don’t deserve to be empowered
with technology the same way
adults are.
- Will Richardson, on his blog: Weblogg-ed » “I lost something very important to me.” (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2012, from http://
weblogg-ed.com/2007/i-lost-something-very-important-to-me/
72. 3 Lessons Banning Cell
Phones Teaches Kids
1. It teaches them that they
don’t deserve to be empowered
with technology the same way
adults are.
2. Schools are places where
you don’t need to communicate
or access information.
- Will Richardson, on his blog: Weblogg-ed » “I lost something very important to me.” (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2012, from http://
weblogg-ed.com/2007/i-lost-something-very-important-to-me/
73. 3 Lessons Banning Cell
Phones Teaches Kids
1. It teaches them that they
don’t deserve to be empowered
with technology the same way
adults are.
2. Schools are places where
you don’t need to communicate
or access information.
3. They can’t be trusted (or
taught, for that matter) to use
phones appropriately in
school.
- Will Richardson, on his blog: Weblogg-ed » “I lost something very important to me.” (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2012, from http://
weblogg-ed.com/2007/i-lost-something-very-important-to-me/
79. “A key step toward making school
intrinsically motivating is to customize
education to match the way each child best
learns.”
80.
81.
82.
83. DeFour, M. (2012, June 20). UW to offer ‘flexible degree’. Wisconsin State Journal, pp. A1.
84. DeFour, M. (2012, June 20). UW to offer ‘flexible degree’. Wisconsin State Journal, pp. A1.
85. DeFour, M. (2012, June 20). UW to offer ‘flexible degree’. Wisconsin State Journal, pp. A1.
86.
87. Starts in fall of 2012
courses from MIT and Harvard
video lessons
embedded testing
real-time feedback
student-ranked questions and answers
collaborative web-based laboratories
student paced learning
93. Gamification
“Gamification is the practice of
taking techniques and
psychological aspects used to
create games and applying
them to address objectives in
non-game settings.”
Source: Can you “Gamify” your Customer Experience? Lessons from the Highway | CustomerThink. (n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2012,
from http://www.customerthink.com/blog/can_you_gamify_your_customer_experience_lessons_from_the_highway
94. What games do
1. Combine learning and assessment
2. Give tutorials
3. Failure is not permanent- you learn from
failure and quickly try again
4. Provide information as it is needed, not all
at the beginning
5. Maintain a “pleasantly frustrating” state
in which players are challenged to do
better, without being discouraged
6. Reward and recognize success
Source: Computer games can teach schools some lessons | ASU News. (n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2012, from https://asunews.asu.edu/
20100222_videogameeducation
James Gee, Presidential Chair in Literacy Studies in the Mary Lou Fulton Institute and Graduate School of Education at Arizona State
University
95. “This site is dedicated to the thought that
something as simple as fun is the easiest
way to change people’s behaviour for
the better. Be it for yourself, for the
environment, or for something entirely
different, the only thing that matters is
that it’s change for the better.”
97. “In their personal time [students] are active
participants with the information they consume;
whether it be video games or working on their
Facebook profile, students spend their free time
contributing to, and feeling engaged by, a larger
system. Yet in the classroom setting, the majority
of teachers will still expect students to sit there
and listen attentively, occasionally answering a
question after quietly raising their hand. Is it any
wonder that students don’t feel engaged by their
classwork?”
Source: The Gamified Classroom | Gamification Blog. (n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2012, from http://gamification.co/2011/09/28/the-gamified-
classroom/
112. “The only way to get
what you’re worth is to
stand out, to exert
emotional labor, to be
seen as indispensable, and
to produce interactions
that organizations and
people deeply care
about.”
113. “Everyone is a person,
and people crave
connection and respect.”
114. “We don’t need a human being
standing next to us to lecture us
on how to find the square root of
a number or sharpen an axe.
...
“What we do need is someone to
persuade us that we want to
learn those things, and someone
to push us or encourage us or
create a space where we want to
learn to do them better.”
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Hinweis der Redaktion
\n
If I were famous, I might not need to do this part. But, I know you didn't look at the conference website and say, "Oooh, Jon Tanner is the keynote, I think I'll go!"\nWhenever we listen to somebody, we need to keep in mind their perspective. This is that critical thinking skill we say we want our children to have.\n\n
Don’t fall into this trap. I have some things to share that I hope are interesting, but please be a critical evaluator of what I say so that you can apply them the best possible way in your situation. \n
As a kid, I played around with computers like these.\n
After college I got a job in Illinois as a 4th grade teacher, and then became the district’s first technology coordinator.\nFrom there, my wife and I moved to northern Wisconsin to start up an environmental boarding high school, where we wore a lot of hats. \nWe realized we like the Madison area, and wanted to raise our children in southern Wisconsin, so we moved back. \n\n
I am the Technology Director for the Oregon School District since 2005.\n
I prefer Mac computers, but our district uses Windows as a standard. I’m also a fan of Linux, and Chromebooks are becoming a really attractive option. \n
But these are the reasons I am so committed to education. My wife and I have three sons, ages 10, 8, and 5, who keep us on our toes. I have learned more, and become more invested in education because of my relationships with these three boys. We enjoy Legos, fishing, biking, and reading.\n
Now that you know a bit about who I am, you’ll be able to think critically about what I say. So let’s move on- here are my goals for today.\nTo INFORM\n
INFORM \nPROVOKE THOUGHT\n
ENTERTAIN\n
and PROVIDE USEFUL THINGS\n
Now, a little bit about you- since you are near the Illinois border, I thought I’d do a little poll on who the best football team is...\n
So, let’s move start with, “Why are you saying we should stop talking about 21st Century Skills”?!?\n
Apparently, rainbow colors and circles are a valuable 21st century skill- these people have mastered it. \n
Apparently, rainbow colors and circles are a valuable 21st century skill- these people have mastered it. \n
Apparently, rainbow colors and circles are a valuable 21st century skill- these people have mastered it. \n
Apparently, rainbow colors and circles are a valuable 21st century skill- these people have mastered it. \n
Apparently, rainbow colors and circles are a valuable 21st century skill- these people have mastered it. \n
Apparently, rainbow colors and circles are a valuable 21st century skill- these people have mastered it. \n
I said the same thing in Oregon’s tech plan.\n
Given all this attention, why would I say we should stop talking about 21st century skills? Well, first, it’s too BIG to be meaningful and useful. \n
It made sense in the 1990s, when we were talking about something 5-10 years out. But to keep talking about it now is just silly. \n
It made sense in the 1990s, when we were talking about something 5-10 years out. But to keep talking about it now is just silly. \n
For example, let’s take “the great manure crisis of 1894”: In the London Times, one writer estimated that in 50 years every street in London would be buried under nine feet of manure\n
The great manure crisis of 1894: In the London Times, one writer estimated that in 50 years every street in London would be buried under nine feet of manure.\nObviously, this did not account for the invention of the automobile. \n
These probably made a lot of sense for about 5-10 years, but then got dashed. \n
Some predictions are mathematically accurate, but not really practical, like this prediction for the number of razor blades. Others might make sense, but don’t take into account some social factors.\n
So, by 1998, we should have seen ten percent of people in mass transit using head-mounted computer displays. If we had asked Negroponte for his prediction by 2012, I expect he would have extrapolated that to a majority of people.\n
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Let’s get some perspective- what were “20th Century Skills” back in the 1890s?\nDiscuss with a friend next to you, or just shout out an answer. \n
Things have changed so much in just 12 years- think of the work-place skills that we thought were needed in 2000, compared to today!\n
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The PowerMac G4 was “the first personal computer classified as munitions and under export restriction because of its power.” 3 x faster than the Pentium 3. The Raspberry Pi is geared for hobbyists and students. Granted, you get a keyboard, ZIP drive, DVD, and hard drive with the G4, but that doesn’t account for the extra $2,464.\n\n
The PowerMac G4 was “the first personal computer classified as munitions and under export restriction because of its power.” 3 x faster than the Pentium 3. The Raspberry Pi is geared for hobbyists and students. Granted, you get a keyboard, ZIP drive, DVD, and hard drive with the G4, but that doesn’t account for the extra $2,464.\n\n
The PowerMac G4 was “the first personal computer classified as munitions and under export restriction because of its power.” 3 x faster than the Pentium 3. The Raspberry Pi is geared for hobbyists and students. Granted, you get a keyboard, ZIP drive, DVD, and hard drive with the G4, but that doesn’t account for the extra $2,464.\n\n
The PowerMac G4 was “the first personal computer classified as munitions and under export restriction because of its power.” 3 x faster than the Pentium 3. The Raspberry Pi is geared for hobbyists and students. Granted, you get a keyboard, ZIP drive, DVD, and hard drive with the G4, but that doesn’t account for the extra $2,464.\n\n
In 2000, when we saved or transferred files, we used a floppy disk. This was okay, except when files got large. Or the drive went bad. But they were cheap and effective, because all computers had floppy drives, and they cost about a buck. \nFirst commercial USB flash drive released in December 2000. Before that, we had to use floppies or CDs. The iMac made USB take off, and by 2003, USB thumb drives were popular. They were available in a variety of sizes. They cost around the same per Gigabyte as floppies, but were more reliable and way faster. \nFast forward to today. Not only has the price dropped by several orders of magnitude, but you can now get them in all sorts of shapes, including sushi.\n
In 2000, when we saved or transferred files, we used a floppy disk. This was okay, except when files got large. Or the drive went bad. But they were cheap and effective, because all computers had floppy drives, and they cost about a buck. \nFirst commercial USB flash drive released in December 2000. Before that, we had to use floppies or CDs. The iMac made USB take off, and by 2003, USB thumb drives were popular. They were available in a variety of sizes. They cost around the same per Gigabyte as floppies, but were more reliable and way faster. \nFast forward to today. Not only has the price dropped by several orders of magnitude, but you can now get them in all sorts of shapes, including sushi.\n
In 2000, when we saved or transferred files, we used a floppy disk. This was okay, except when files got large. Or the drive went bad. But they were cheap and effective, because all computers had floppy drives, and they cost about a buck. \nFirst commercial USB flash drive released in December 2000. Before that, we had to use floppies or CDs. The iMac made USB take off, and by 2003, USB thumb drives were popular. They were available in a variety of sizes. They cost around the same per Gigabyte as floppies, but were more reliable and way faster. \nFast forward to today. Not only has the price dropped by several orders of magnitude, but you can now get them in all sorts of shapes, including sushi.\n
In 2000, when we saved or transferred files, we used a floppy disk. This was okay, except when files got large. Or the drive went bad. But they were cheap and effective, because all computers had floppy drives, and they cost about a buck. \nFirst commercial USB flash drive released in December 2000. Before that, we had to use floppies or CDs. The iMac made USB take off, and by 2003, USB thumb drives were popular. They were available in a variety of sizes. They cost around the same per Gigabyte as floppies, but were more reliable and way faster. \nFast forward to today. Not only has the price dropped by several orders of magnitude, but you can now get them in all sorts of shapes, including sushi.\n
In 2000, when we saved or transferred files, we used a floppy disk. This was okay, except when files got large. Or the drive went bad. But they were cheap and effective, because all computers had floppy drives, and they cost about a buck. \nFirst commercial USB flash drive released in December 2000. Before that, we had to use floppies or CDs. The iMac made USB take off, and by 2003, USB thumb drives were popular. They were available in a variety of sizes. They cost around the same per Gigabyte as floppies, but were more reliable and way faster. \nFast forward to today. Not only has the price dropped by several orders of magnitude, but you can now get them in all sorts of shapes, including sushi.\n
In 2000, when we saved or transferred files, we used a floppy disk. This was okay, except when files got large. Or the drive went bad. But they were cheap and effective, because all computers had floppy drives, and they cost about a buck. \nFirst commercial USB flash drive released in December 2000. Before that, we had to use floppies or CDs. The iMac made USB take off, and by 2003, USB thumb drives were popular. They were available in a variety of sizes. They cost around the same per Gigabyte as floppies, but were more reliable and way faster. \nFast forward to today. Not only has the price dropped by several orders of magnitude, but you can now get them in all sorts of shapes, including sushi.\n
In 2000, when we saved or transferred files, we used a floppy disk. This was okay, except when files got large. Or the drive went bad. But they were cheap and effective, because all computers had floppy drives, and they cost about a buck. \nFirst commercial USB flash drive released in December 2000. Before that, we had to use floppies or CDs. The iMac made USB take off, and by 2003, USB thumb drives were popular. They were available in a variety of sizes. They cost around the same per Gigabyte as floppies, but were more reliable and way faster. \nFast forward to today. Not only has the price dropped by several orders of magnitude, but you can now get them in all sorts of shapes, including sushi.\n
In 2000, when we saved or transferred files, we used a floppy disk. This was okay, except when files got large. Or the drive went bad. But they were cheap and effective, because all computers had floppy drives, and they cost about a buck. \nFirst commercial USB flash drive released in December 2000. Before that, we had to use floppies or CDs. The iMac made USB take off, and by 2003, USB thumb drives were popular. They were available in a variety of sizes. They cost around the same per Gigabyte as floppies, but were more reliable and way faster. \nFast forward to today. Not only has the price dropped by several orders of magnitude, but you can now get them in all sorts of shapes, including sushi.\n
And the pixels on the screen are roughly the same, so you can see the same amount on each of them.\n
Instead of large textbook publishers and media producers giving us one massive publication of the same curriculum for the entire nation, we have individualized curricula delivered online, created by small teams, crowdsourced and adaptible.\n
CU-SeeMe video conferencing from Madison Middle School 2000. Low bandwidth, low quality, and hard to set up. Currently, we have a ton of options for video conferencing, in high definition, full color, and on mobile devices like the iPod touch.\n
All within the 21st Century. So predicting any farther is not useful.\nAnd if we haven’t figured out what 21st Century Skills are yet, we’re doing a pretty bad job. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re 12 years into the 21st Century.\n
Things have changed so much in just 12 years- think of the work-place skills that we thought were needed in 2000, compared to today!\n
Things have changed so much in just 12 years- think of the work-place skills that we thought were needed in 2000, compared to today!\n
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Let’s analyze this prediction. First, who are Cathleen and Elliot? (Go ahead- look them up on your phones or whatever you have.)\nAre they qualified? Are they biased? Do they have a good track record?\n
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I might add a fourth skills- it teaches them how to send text messages with the phone in their pocket. They would not have learned that without phones being treated as contraband. \n
I might add a fourth skills- it teaches them how to send text messages with the phone in their pocket. They would not have learned that without phones being treated as contraband. \n
I might add a fourth skills- it teaches them how to send text messages with the phone in their pocket. They would not have learned that without phones being treated as contraband. \n
Hey, look! It’s like they have a computer in their pocket! Let’s use that! Of course, the equity issue is always there, but more low-income students have mobile phones and smartphones than have computers with Internet at home.\n
Hey, look! It’s like they have a computer in their pocket! Let’s use that! Of course, the equity issue is always there, but more low-income students have mobile phones and smartphones than have computers with Internet at home.\n
It’s not as if we’ve never mandated technology purchases for students before. The TI 84+ Silver Edition retailed for $149 in 2011. For $50 more, you get an iPod Touch. You can then buy the TI-84 App and 100,000 other apps.\n
Regular “dumb” phones with text message capabilities can use a wide variety of Google services, so you don’t need a smart phone.\n
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Highly recommend this book.\n
Knewton adapts to each student. It creates the modular learning system that Disrupting Class recommends. \n
The S-curve of disruptive innovation is tricky, because at the beginning, it looks like it will never catch on. When it reaches the “tipping point,” it accelerates quickly until it reaches a saturation point and takes over. \n
Here is the S-Curve of online learning predicted in Disrupting Class. We are right at the inflection point of the S-curve, on the uptick. By 2019, 50% of all high school courses will be taken online.\n
Not just limited to the K12 schools. \n
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Take any MIT course- for free. Uses open-source technology to deliver lectures, hands-on activities, lessons, etc. All for free.\nHarvard now involved. EdX just announced- allows anybody to learn. MITx now allows you to be “credentialed” in a certain content area or skill. You don’t get a degree, but you get a badge that says you are capable. In other words, it’s an authentic assessment.\n
Take any MIT course- for free. Uses open-source technology to deliver lectures, hands-on activities, lessons, etc. All for free.\nHarvard now involved. EdX just announced- allows anybody to learn AND get credentials based on what they can do. Not a degree, but a badging system based on competency.\n
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Mozilla corporation, a non-profit, it becoming a credentialing provider as well.\n
Uses Mozilla’s Open Badging Initiative platform. Gives you end-to-end services to create your own badging community. So, you could have a custom badge program for your own local programs, learning goals, or skills.\n
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James Gee, Presidential Chair in Literacy Studies in the Mary Lou Fulton Institute and Graduate School of Education at Arizona State University.\nRewards for success are especially true in multi-player gaming, where you have a rank compared to others. Just like “badging”.\n
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In the study, 50 drivers were loaned specially equipped cars that used GPS technology to determine speed limit coordinates.  Each driver drove the loaner car for one week. Much like a fare meter in a taxi, each driver started the week with a $25 credit that they could keep at the end of the week if they drove within the posted speed limit. If the driver drove 5 to 8 miles over the speed limit the meter would click down 3 cents, and if they drove 9 or more miles over the speed limit, the meter would tick down 6 cents.\nResults from the tracking system as well as the driver’s self-report suggested that the drivers dramatically altered the way they typically drove.  Furthermore, drivers reported “pleasure” from engaging in the game and trying to keep all of the $25.\nThink about it, the fear of a $150 speeding ticket was less likely to affect behavior than the opportunity to “win the game” and save 3 or 6 seconds at a time.\n\n
What did you notice \n
Teaches math concepts up to functions.\n
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Teaches math concepts up to functions.\n
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Respect and connection are the things that people really crave. This is why social networks happen. Why people earn badges. Why people play games. Why people go to movies together, and cheer for sports teams at a bar instead of watching it at home.\nThis is what we give to our students. It’s why caring, skilled, compassionate teachers will never be replaced by technology. Now, the methods of “connection” may be changing- they may be technologically mediated. But they are connections, just the same.\n
If you haven’t read this Manifesto, you really should. It may anger you, but it will definitely provoke some good conversation.\n
Because every day, this is why we teach- we are making the world a better place for the children who matter most to us. So keep doing what you do best, and use technology to do it even better.\n