Shifting Education "Out of This World."

Last week, two teenagers from Scarborough demonstrated the incredible potential of what can happen when technology and passion meet.  These two boys are getting international attention for their project which sent a Lego Man (holding a Canadian Flag) into near space.  Their Lego man contraption captured photos of its journey which showed the curvature of the earth.

They knew approximately where it would land by using a website which predicted the trajectory of weather balloons based on weather conditions and where it was launched from.  They launched it from Newmarket and retrieved it from a field in Peterborough. These students did not do this for a school project. They did it for fun. These two boys, from Agincourt Collegiate, have shown that learning absolutely takes place beyond the walls of the classroom. It can even take place beyond this atmosphere!

Thestar.com - VideoZone- High schoolers send Lego Man into space

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Generation Z and the Future of Education

Generation z is the generation of children born since the mid 1990s.  They have lived their whole lives within the context of the internet and post 911.  They are innately in tune with technology and will likely be more lateral thinkers than the generations that precede them.

On the down side they are believed to be the most inactive and overweight generation of children in the  history of the world so far due to their time online and limited physical freedom.  These factors will also contribute towards them growing up fast.

What is our challenge as educators and parents of this generation?  I believe we will have to engage them with technology and guide them in order to be safe as they explore.  In addition, we need to direct them to educational and inspiring websites and technologies that will expand their learning in positive ways.

Most importantly,  we need to mentor them to create balance in their lives.  We need to encourage them to nurture hobbies and interests away from technology.

 

It is our role to show them the beauty of music, art, and nature, both admiring and engaging in creative activities.


It is equally vital to give lots of opportunity for physical activity, because without it these children will become very unhealthy and this will diminish their enjoyment of life.

 

Technology in Education?

Technology is changing at a faster pace than most of us can keep up with, but this is the world we find ourselves in.  In spite of the apprehensions we may have, I strongly believe that the vast majority of technical tools that are available to us today enhance, encourage, and inspire learning.  Being able to "google" anything that you have a curiosity about is an amazing phenomenon.  The sharing of ideas on an international level via the internet has truly opened up the world in a way that just wasn't accessible twenty years ago.

I am convinced that in 2012 and beyond, it is imperative for teachers to have enough humility and courage to accept that they are no longer the ones that have all the knowledge.  It is no longer the case where all the knowledge is inside the teacher's head and it is her job to somehow convey that knowledge to her pupils.  Teachers need to transform into facilitators of learning.  They need to nurture, encourage, and guide students towards asking  probing questions and learning how to find the answers to those questions, themselves.

Does this mean that I believe every child should have access to an ipad, ipod or other personal device in the classroom all the time? Well, I do think there is a value in that, especially when doing research on a particular topic.  Another great use of such devices would be to collaborate with other students in other classrooms, perhaps in another province or maybe even a different continent. What a fantastic opportunity!

Even though I see incredible value in the technical tools available to us, I also see immense value in having a good part of each day without any screens or devices.  We need time to immerse ourselves in all the beauty that is present in nature, culture, and the arts.  Children (and adults!) have an innate need to commune with nature, to spend time quietly admiring and being present in creation. In addition, humans have been designed with an incredible ability to create and express themselves musically, artistically, and dramatically.  We need to keep these part of education.

On top of this need to be in nature, and to express ourselves creatively, we need to be in community.  Sociology over thousands of years has shown us that humans are happiest in community.  Without community, humans become depressed. That is the  caveat to our ever increasing technical world.  We need to have the self-control to know when to turn it off and enjoy all that we have been created to be.