I just recently read an article titled 21 Things That Will Be Obsolete by 2020 by Tina Barseghian. It speaks about what she believes our classrooms will look like in the year 2020. There are a lot of things in this article that I agree with, but frankly there are many that I do not. I have chosen to share my views on what I think the top 5 pieces of this article are:
1. Desks- Do I see us moving completely away from desks? No. I see us moving toward tables and desks that allow students to interact, but I do not foresee us completely doing away with desks. After all, where would we put our books or computers? Maybe by the year 2020 the tables and desks will have the computers built right into them. Who knows?
2. Computers- That is, large computers and computer screens. I see this disappearing by the year 2020. Even today there are not many left because much of what we use now is through smart phones or other smart technologies.
3. Schools- I do not see schools disappearing within the next ten years. However, I think the line between school and home is going to become fuzzy because students will do most of their work on the computer. I think that students will be expected to do a lot more independent learning from home and then come into school to teach the rest of the class.
4. Parent- Teacher Night- Unfortunately, this may be something that disappears within ten years. I say this because I have witnessed conference nights where parents are busy working and trying to make ends meet and do not make it to the conferences. I hope that in the next ten years, our economy improves but we still need to be prepared in case it doesn't. I also say this because we are expecting that by 2020 most schools will have advanced computer technology. Well, guess what? The parents of our students are going to be the taxpayers paying for these advances so that their children can receive a good education. Although I feel as though parent- teacher night may disappear, I think that it may become easier to communicate with parents. When we begin teaching, our students' parents will be from this generation. We grew up in a society that was technologically literate and know how to use many of the communication tools that the internet offers.
5. Paper- Yes, I do believe that paper will significantly decrease by 2020. Students will be used to learning on computers. However, I do not wish to completely eliminate the use pf paper. I want my students, for instance, to know how to write and not just know how to type. I think that writing is a fundamental part of learning. You remember what you write down. I think that it is important to find a balance between using pen and paper and using the computer to teach and to learn.
What do you think?
I agree with a lot of your points Katrina. Especially on desks and schools. How can desks and schools disappear in the future? School to me is a staple of learning and while I think learning can take place outside of a school building I think that the basics and a lot of the material would be better learned in schools and that many students would be lost on those concepts if taught elsewhere. Also, tables = good but no desks = bad.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that Parent Teacher Night will most likely disappear and I think that is unfortunate. If a teacher has something important to say to a parent it should not be over a computer or over the phone, it should be face to face. Not computer face to face but direct and in person face to face. While I get that the economy is bad and it is hard for parents, they should make the extra effort to meet with their child's teachers. The teacher is with the child as much as the parent and the parent should want to talk with them. I think parents should make the time to talk with the teachers and take an active role in their child's education instead of not being there for them. Plus, the schools may have the technology to communicate through computer technology but some families may not be able to afford it and they would get lost in the shuffle of communication.