Sythensis Paper #3

How to be effective in 2025:

Technology is something that changes everyday. We have discussed that in 2025, there will be a heavy emphasis of this changing technology within the classrooms thus creating a new and different type of school. While this is all well and good there are a few things that need to be remembered as we approach this time. 

As of right now we live in a world where things are not always accessible to everyone. Even in America there are certain regions that go with out four-bar cell phone service and are still connected to the world via dial-up. If the schools our students attend will be filled with technology in 2025 we need to first have the capability to connect everyone over the web. Not only will schools need this, but houses will need to be able to link to the web at all times so students can complete work at home. This opens the argument about how to supply students with the technological tools with the budget we may have. We cannot expect that a family will have to provide some sort of device for every child in their family, but we can also not expect the counties to pay for this. In order for the technology to even be implemented in an effective way, I see this as a huge hurdle we will have to jump. 

Teachers must still be present in 2025. The talk of "teachers not being needed" throughout classrooms today infuriates me. We cannot expect students, especially younger ones, to be taught by a computer. There are certain aspects to human teachers that will need to stay within the classroom in order for the students to benefit from the technology that may be available. Each teacher can offer stories or experiences about a topic that a computer cannot. That personal interaction needs to stay intact for students to fully understand the content that is being presented to them. With the advancement of technology, it is true that there will be no need for teachers to stand and lecture for 45+ minutes at a time. Students will have the opportunity to explore the subject they are given. But the teacher needs to be there as a guide, to help students who are lost, and generally support the content being presented to them. Studying to be a teacher has taught me that this is no easy profession. When there are standards involved that we have to stick to, it becomes a challenge to the students to completely absorb all the information, and a challenge to educators to teach every different student. We cannot expect that by 2025 students will have gained the knowledge and skills it takes to be their own teachers. Computers may be able to take over the role of identifying content, but a computer will never be able to take over the personal role that is needed within a classroom to guide students to a better understanding of content. 

Last but not least, in 2025, there needs to be research available to all students. Effective learning, in my opinion, comes from experiencing something. A person could tell you not to touch a stove when its on because it will hurt, but you will never know until you actually feel the pain of that burn. I know that's a cheesy example, but it will have to do. More and more research will be available over the web. In order for these to be effectively used they need to be put into a database where everyone can access them as well as experience them. The resources we have archived can be made into things that our students can understand. Blueprints of plantations for example, can be made into a 3d walking tour via computer so the students can understand what these places really looked like to get a better understanding of their function and effect on the people living there. On the other hand, we have to let the students research as well. By connecting with people, including students, of other countries, students can conduct interviews and create their own primary research. 

I believe that school in 2025, along with technology, will be based on experiences. Students will have access to great amounts of information and may be able to finally experience and understand what those from our past went through and how it affected them. With this better understanding, students will be able to truly comprehend the content presented to them and as well ass effectively use it later in their lives.