I’ve always worried that the 21st century classroom, if achieved and fully realized, will unwittingly squash the spirits of a generation of learners.
I read articles by Marc Prensky about turning our youth into programmers and adopting 21st century learning practices and, while I agree with many of the points, I hear a clear and frightening message…
More.
Better.
Faster.
This scares me a little.
Is this really what kids need to focus on? Let’s not take the innocence from our youth any sooner than it needs to be. Yes, let’s put today’s powerful technologies in their hands — but let’s do it without creating a generation of go-getters who cannot stop go-gettin’.
Let’s not make more, better, faster the only thing we teach our youth to value or we’ll all be sorry.
Mark Osborne produced an award-winning video many years ago on this topic, which he appropriately called More. It’s fantastic. Please have a look — it’s about 6 min long. (Click the link to Despair.com to watch the movie).
Image from the video called MORE by Mark Osborne
(Click the link to Despair.com to watch the movie)
2 responses so far ↓
Diane Main // May 12, 2009 at 3:18 am |
I teach technology classes to students in grades one through eight, but I have the added privilege of working in a private school. (I don’t get the privilege of earning a competitive wage though.)
I always try to keep my focus on “what the best way to do this?” while also peppering in “how should we conduct ourselves (within a workplace, class, family, society at large) as we do this?” I love gadgets and trying new things, but there are some basics — old tricks — that always remain in my repertoire. I try to do this with my parenting as well. Let’s hope I’m getting it right.
Holly Peters // May 18, 2009 at 1:45 am |
Great point. The video was pretty powerful too. I think adults should try to hold on to their childlike joy as they strive for “more” too.