Education = “hopeless anachronism”

When Alvin Toffler wrote his book Future Shock in 1970 he was projecting what the future would be like in regard to the human race, technology, education, and many other parts of the world.  The majority of the book seems to focus on the changes that will occur and the adjustments that humans will have to make in regard to technology and the human race.   Toffler however does discuss his views on education in the book as well.   In his opinion, “what passes for education today, even in our ‘best’ schools and colleges, is a hopeless anachronism”.   According to Meriam Webster Dictionary anachronism is “the state or condition of being chronologically out of place”.  Toffler went on to state that schools face backward in the direction of a dying system, rather than forward toward a developing  system.

School of ONE

Are Hybrid Schools the Answer?  The Following text is by Liz Dwyer of Good:

Talk to any teacher—veteran or neophyte—and she’ll tell you that one of the most challenging things is teaching students who are at different levels. Imagine the effort and skill required to teach a fourth grade class where a few kids read are struggling with Dr. Seuss, a few are zipping through the last Harry Potter book, and everyone else is somewhere in between.

Of course, savvy teachers already know to use technology to either push kids or provide extra help, but what if tech tools could be used to provide a completely customizable education experience throughout the entire school day?

A few innovative campuses—currently called “hybrid schools” because teachers and technology work together—are cropping up across the country. The latest issue of Education Next spotlights some of the great innovations happening at these hybrid schools and New York City’s School of One, which operates on three public middle school campuses, really stands out. It even uses a computer program that has an algorithm that figures out exactly how to teach specific skills to individual kids.

In the video above, Joel Rose, the leader of School of One, explains their methodology. It’s impressive to see the amount of technology they have at their disposal as well as the personalization the programs provide. Of course, the model does raise a few questions. Is it scalable to the entire public school system? And in an era of budget cuts, can districts even afford the technology investment?

Online Learning…The Answer?

Via: OnlineSchools.org