Traditional Schools Obsolete?
Cyber-schools are growing so quickly that many are concerned about the current high school system. [Robert Gutsche Jr., Chicago Tribune, April 10, 2007] Technology is allowing a wide variety of curriculum offerings. Students in rural areas that have been held back by tight school budgets and staff reductions find an endless selection of classes in cyber space. Many subjects that schools want to offer are impossible because the budget does not allow the school to hire someone for that specialty area. Online classes fill in that gap.
What About Social Interaction?
The picture of a student sitting behind a computer all day in a room without any fresh air or human contact is not the typical cyber-school. Many students that take online classes are home-schooled and social interaction is built into the curriculum. Many home-schooled children meet several times a week to do group activities with others. Some homeschooled children attend the local public school for the arts and physical education.
The Future
Thomas Frey, futurist, has a vision of education into the future. By 2009 Frey predicts that education will take a radical shift into the electronic age. That is only two years away. However, look how quickly the cyber classes are growing.
Frey believes that in two years private funding will cause disruptive education systems to emerge. And, in 5 years, there will be dramatic changes...dramatic.
Classrooms Inefficient
When we look at the typical classroom, we see 25 students who can easily be 4-5 years apart in their learning. Teachers often "teach to the middle" leaving the lower end lost and the upper end bored. What would it be like to allow each student to go at their speed? A typical fifth grader could easily have the vocabulary skills of a 7th grader, math skills of a 9th grader and reading skills of a 4th grader. If a student could accelerate in areas of strength and learn at a mastery (slower) pace in the weaker areas, what would this do to a classroom? A teacher could not prepare lessons and keep up with students. It would be a nightmare.
But, what if students worked independently without limits? What if they could correct their own work and move on only when material was mastered? What if students could take a pre-test and get credit for a class never taken if they knew the material? This is all quite possible under Frey's concept of education.
Camps
Frey proposes learning camps in specialty areas. Students could take online classes to fill in with other required subjects. This would require a major paradigm shift in our current views of education but this new age of technology seems to be a tidal wave that is sweeping us up out to sea--ready or not.
Related articles: Future Look of Education, Learning and Technology
Read previous articles on Educational Issues.
Copyright article 2007 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
