I just finished participating in yet another tremendous webinar on Technology in Education hosted by Steve Hargadon. Interesting but frustrating. There are so many powerful tools to help students learn that it is hard not to get caught up in the excitement of this “new world”. By reading the ongoing chat during the session, you could see the excitement grow among the participants. Of course, some participants were noting that the guest was talking about a university experience, not a K-12 situation, and many others were lamenting that as teachers they couldn’t even log in to the webinar from school because of all the filters that block anyone from access. So the question kept coming up about how one could teach using all these great Web 2.0 tools if so many of them are blocked.
The problem is — Web 2.0 tools are powerful “learning” tools, not “schooling” tools. That makes the need for them minimal in the system. This is also why it’s not surprising that almost every system (including my own home district) blocks almost all web 2.0 sites for students and teachers. No district “needs” them to “do” school, and it is certainly easier for everyone if no one has to deal with the difficulties and “hassles” they bring. What if a student writes something inappropriate in a live chat? or to a classmate? or about a teacher? It’s easier all the way around not to have to deal with those issues. Besides, we have successfully had “modern” schools for a century without Web 2.0 tools, so obviously they are not necessary.
As I noted, the problem is that schools are set up for “schooling” and these are tools designed to enhance “learning”! Yes, of course, learning sometimes happens in a school setting, but as I’ve said before, learning is a fortunate byproduct of the process. Individual learning at the highest levels is
not the purpose of school and I can accept that — for the system. I just want to make sure we are figuring out ways to create learning systems to complement our school systems.
Comments? Feedback? PLEASE join the discussion.
Tags: Web2.0 tools
There are so many ways that the schools are missing the boat: with new opportunities for learning in some of the more traditional content areas but also with the much needed area of best web practices, literacy, and etiquette. I know of a person whose son was recently suspended from a school in a large KY school district because of some inappropriate language –some of it racist–that appeared on his YouTube page. It turns out that someone else (probably another boy from the school) hacked into his account and put the language there and erased all of the videos. The school panicked and suspended the boy until the end of the school year without taking into consideration at all his side of the story. They are afraid that word will get out to the media that this incident occurred. Now the whole student body and a whole lot of parents are extremely upset. Gossip abounds. Kids are even writing poetry about the injustice of it all online.
The schools really have their heads in the ground when it comes to use of internet – more than any other entity of society that I know of. Any honest,realistic approach seems entirely missing. The only reaction is no reaction: turning away and silence.
Are fears of liability what is killing our schools? Perhaps we need to start some sort of grass roots effort to take control of this…Maybe the effort would begin with students assuming part of the responsibility. If the schools are only going to react out of fear, then there can be no important steps forward.
It’s all a hegemonic power block, don’t you know. Schools are institutions; institutions are bureaucratic in nature and bureaucracy, according to Weber, sustains itself because of control and legitimacy. Free and open learning, via internet or other means, disallows control and potentially destroys legitimacy.
Someone has to control what is learned and legitimize the process or how would schools, government, etc., exist as we know it. Be patient…it is all changing, but it will take at least two generations.
John, Obviously I agree about the many opportunities being missed because of the inability of school districts to come to grips with the Age of the Internet. Unfortunately, historically they have been very insulated from needing to pay attention. That may be changing due to the current economic situation, but I can see already that it is not just going to “evolve” as we had hoped in the early days of School Reform.
I was certainly sorry to hear about the young man you described. I would urge his parents to pursue this by exercising their due process. His school district, no matter which it might be, is filled with caring individuals who want to do the right thing for kids, but they find themselves feeling boxed in by the world that the system has created. The good news — if there is any — is that they are still obligated to provide him with a learning environment — even if he’s not at school. While this opens lots of possibilities from the virtual realm, chances are he is unprepared to take full advantage of this because learning self-discipline, ability to independently plan, etc, have probably not been part of his schooling experience to this point.
I agree that something needs to be done. I have seen and been part of several “grass roots” efforts, and they are usually more like a grass fire on the prairie — they burn for awhile and then go out and things go back to “normal” before long — it’s the nature of the self-healing system that we have. I think we need a different approach; one that takes on learning through other ways besides trying to change the system. Chew on that . . .
JBVH — There is certainly much in your analysis that I agree with. I don’t think we can stand back and wait for another generation or two. In fact, during last night’s webinar, the guest talked about being heavily influenced by Postman’s Teaching As A Subversive Activity. I reread that a few years ago and it depressed me. Know why? Because Postman nailed good teaching and how to cause learning. He also railed against the “system” as the entity that was blocking this from being able to really take root. Sound familiar? Hold on — he looked ahead at the teachers entering the system in the late 60’s and early 70’s and said something to the effect that current teachers in the system had been unsuccessful in understanding the need for change or how to bring it about, but the new generation of teachers, that rebellious generation (of ours) that questioned authority at every turn, would be the ones to bring about the change! And now we are all either retired or on the verge and the system is stronger than ever. Not because it’s evil or ill intended or anti-child, but because it was a really good system that was established, designed to be self-perpetuating and impervious to the vicissitudes of change.
Sooo? I’m convinced there is another way. We don’t really want to change the system, do we? We want to provide better and better learning experiences for every learner. Think about that. I had not framed it for myself that way until just now. Think I will put that in a blog and on FB and see if I get a response.