Week 1-Blog #2-Learnng 2.0- New designs for educational success

Created by Bonnie Blair September 7, 2009

Learning occurs through interaction with both technology and each other.

This includes creativity, exploration, discovery, analysis and synthesis of materials both online and in the local library. The videos associated with this question were very interesting, and although I don't see school districts adapting to social networking sites in the immediate future, I do believe the tools discussed in the "No Future Left Behind" video and "Bringing 21st Century Learning to Your Classroom," are possible in the near future.

The only way to effect change in American schools is through a grass-roots movement; a collaboration of teachers, students, administrators and parents who believe there is something wrong with education as it currently exists This seems to be the idea behind the book Here Comes Everybody, by Clay Shirk . The idea is similar to the fight over evolution and creation, in that there are two distictive groups of people fighting. One group is tech-savvy, and understands the need for technology in the classroom as well as the workforce. The second group holds close to the standards established in a time-gone-by which have little relevance to the future of the American classroom, or the future of our society.

I like to believe that most educators are of the first group, but I am sad to say, not all are. The same holds true for district officials, adminstraotrs, and people in a position to affect this type of change. But change is happening, students are changing, and the sooner educators react, the sooner grades on the "assessments" that schools are forced to teach to, will become a thing of the past. I look forward to the future of education.

Reference List

Shirky, Clay, 2008, Here Comes Everybody,Penguin Press, New York, New York

KnowclueKidd (2009, March 04) No Future Left Behind [Video File]. Video posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kra_z9vMnHo

elemenous (2007, August 29) [Video File]. Video posted to Bringing 21st Century Learning to Your Classroom