BP6_2009121_Anti-teaching

According to Michael Wesch, “Learning is the hallmark of humanity”. Finding meaning in education has been a significant issue since when I was in high school and probably before then. The question about how what is being taught applies to the real world has been ever-present since longer than I can remember. The love of learning about the world and people doesn’t seem to be there anymore. Focus on grades, tests, and curriculum requirements overshadow the desire to know why and how things came to be. Where is that passion that burned in me as a child; that eagerness to find out more and more?

The type of teacher I hope to become is the kind that creates lifelong learners and not students biding time until dismissal while learning by rote. The urgency to educate the leaders of tomorrow is larger than any other calling. It is today’s learners that will make or break the future; as they will be the ones to battle global-warming and the loss of the natural resources that previous generations have destroyed.

Traditional learning environments like classrooms and lecture halls are not cutting it anymore. More and more students question the relevance of what and how they are learning every day. How is this way of learning keeping up with changing technology? As technology changes, so does the way students prefer to learn. Non-traditional learning is becoming the preferred way. Taking online courses in one’s own time is commonplace now. Even public offices like the Department of Motor Vehicles in Florida offers a non-traditional method of taking the test for one’s own driving permit by allowing the class and test to be taken online.

Personal learning environments created by the student through organization of various resources and self-direction allows the student to be in charge of their own learning. For me, personal learning environments increase the success rate of education for students with learning disabilities because they can learn at their own pace and with tools they select for themselves.

I believe current educational systems fail many students because students today are retaining less as they move from grade to grade. I believe that the curriculum is so focused on hitting key points established that teachers are now forgetting to make the learning fun for the students. When I was younger, teachers incorporated challenging games in our classrooms. Doing so made us learn while having fun. Also, allowing students to do work in their own time according to a deadline makes the students take charge of their own learning. Many students would feel better using this method because they can organize their lessons according to what they want to learn first. They would feel less pressure as they can take their time to learn harder or challenging lessons.

I think that virtual learning environments are the key to reinventing education. I think that students today are more technologically oriented and virtual learning environments make learning fun. Course management systems like what we use at Full Sail Online allows students to take their time with harder assignments and allow students to set their own schedules. I know that I feel better doing my assignments as I want to do them. I am aware that my instructors are accessible should I need them, but the learning is my own to do. There is more independent instruction, which makes me feel more in control of my own education. I believe that with proper instruction, personal learning environments and web 2.0 tools can be used in the right ways to successfully expand education. Students can help each other to learn at their own comfort levels.

Technology itself is not enough. I believe that instruction is needed to teach students the right ways to use technology to aid the way they learn. Instructors guide students on what to use and how it is used to enhance education. I do not think that the educational systems in place are obsolete. I do believe that the educational system needs to be revamped and reworked to fit with technological changes. Key components I would put in school include updated computers into schools and teaching children to use them. I believe Internet should be available in school and lessons taught exactly how to acquire necessary information. Web 2.0 tools like Google applications are absolutely useful for students to aid in organization of the information learned. 21^st century schools need to grasp technology and bring it into the classroom. Students today are grasping these systems at home so schools need to incorporate these advances into the curriculum to keep students interested.