We're Not Talking Diamonds Here... The 4 C's

A framework for 21st century learning identifies four vital components of modern learning as add-ons or symbiotic elements to the classic 3 Rs of learning.   Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration.  Behold:

Wow!  I LOVE the 4 C's but not just for usage and integration of technology into classroom learning.   Not just because they mirror the most desirable employ-ability skills.  Simply because it is a beautiful rainbow of learning.  No seriously, The 4 C's might just be the magic bullet that American education needs to stop "middling" compared to our international competitors. 

A study from the Harvard's Program on Education Policy and Governance from this summer indicated that compared to our international counterparts, American students ranked 25th in math, 17th in science and 14th in reading.  Yowza.  If you ask me, creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration are nearly impossible to judge basec on an FCAT score.  That might be a conversation for another time, but then again, it might be exactly the reason the US is so unimpressively average when it comes to our educational swagger.

For a visual of the international rankings from the Harvard survey, see the black line below:

This "hilarious" (read: depressing) article by the Huffington Post also includes a graphic of the Education Olympics that you might find entertaining. 

How does our "middling" relate to educational technology you might ask?  Well, without digressing down a rabbit hole of epic proportions about our current educational policies, the need for literacy reform and a shift in cultural attitude about the universal "need" for a post-secondary degree for any American under the age of 45... the short answer comes from another recent international rankings report from an agency of the United Nations.  This time the the U.S. ranked 10th in the Global Innovation Index, a report published by Insead.  This report seemed to upset some folks, so do with our 10th spot rank what you will, but I think the bottom line is clear.  In no area are we happy with our current educational status.  Rather than focus on our deficits, let's focus on how the 4 C's can help!

My own teacher education program focused on a Constructivist theory of pedagogy that emphasized collaborative learning, critical thinking, communication and creativity.  Genius!  These methodologies can be used to instruct, differentiate and assess which make them ideal for all types of learners.  Because I was entrenched in these methods from the start, providing students with a robust, exploratory learning environment just seems logical to me.  And if you think about it, isn't that what our vision of the internet is for students?

If we were to use these guiding principles to incorporate technology and innovation into our classrooms, we might just be hitting on the jackpot of educational environments.  How might this be best achieved?  This article from the BYOTNetwork explains how to incorporate both the 4 C's and your students' very own cell phones.  Now that's innovative.  

Do you agree that incorporating these ideals into curriculum planning will help us bring technology into the classroom?  Or do you think reform in these areas needs to start at the policy level?  What are your thoughts on the 4 C's?

Teachers Want to Inspire, Say Executives

Blame it on the politically charged climate I find myself in at the moment as a Florida resident gearing up for November presidential elections, but doesn't it always seem like the suits are out there telling us what we want and need without actually ever asking us? 

A recent article by Joel Klein at TechCrunch reflected on a a panel of educational leaders discussing "the future of education: and I found the list of invitees most interesting.  In the mix was Khan Academy founder Sal Khan, former Chancellor of New York Public Schools and a current executive at News Corp., as well as Udacity co-founder Sebastian Thrun.  Were any of those folks ever a teacher?  Any of them even have kids in public schools?  While inquiring minds would like to know, the article does not provide us with that particular piece of information. The article does, however, share the following gem:

"Teachers want to be empowered: That is their motivator. They want to be more effective and excited about the process. So, when it comes to the intersection of education and technology, simply putting a computer in front of a student, of a child, doesn’t make their lives any easier, or education any better."

What do you think of their grand conclusion?

This brings me back to my earlier point.  Don't you wish sometimes that the news media, legislators and even maybe the administrators would stop speaking on behalf of the folks doing the educating and actually ask the teachers what they need? 

Thankfully, and contrarily, this recent survey from the Leading Education by Advancing Digital Commission did ask the teachers, and parents to boot, their thoughts.  Turns out, both parties overwhelming believe that greater emphasis on technology will produce results in learning and that ed tech will become much more important in the next 10 years than it currently is.  Thanks Arne Duncan for actually asking the teachers what they think will be helpful.  Let's see what you do with the data.

What I found most interesting in comparing these two articles is that both suggest that a computer alone won't affect change, that creating an engaging environment through technology is key.  Interestingly, while Khan Academy has certainly become a mainstay for many struggling students, I would argue that Khan Academy is pretty much exactly sticking a child in front of a computer and does not generally engage the student with a new modality for learning.  It is still listening and watching for comprehension, which as many educators know, is the most basic of learning formats.

Did you really want me to pull out the old stand-by Edgar Dale diagram?  Alright, here you are:

So what is actually being done to investigate how education and technology can blend to improve student learning and not just create a new environment in which students will be bored in new and exciting ways (the ultimate challenge, right?!)?  Right here at UCF, amazing work in this area is being discovered every day at the Center for Emerging Media.  I hope to write more on this amazing department soon but if you have a chance to check their site out on your own, please do.  These guys really do seem to aim to inspire, so maybe the executives don't have it completely wrong.

What do you think?

Technology as the Newest Fronteir for Education and Freedom

fron·tier (frn-tîr, frn-, frntîr, frn-)

n.

1. An international border.

2. A region just beyond or at the edge of a settled area.

3. An undeveloped area or field for discovery or research

That education has a unique power to transform a person's life seems to be a universally held belief.  Yet, we as a culture and society continue to question how best an education might be achieved or imparted upon a person. To someone who has spent the majority of her life embedded within the American educational system as a student, educator or administrator, it has always baffled me that we seem so lost in this pursuit.   While research, history and common sense all dictate the importance of education on societal gains, Education (capital E) hasn't been made a national priority for quite some time.  Why? 

When faced with such an important question, I find it helpful to consult some leading thinkers on the matter.  Below are a few of my findings:

“To affirm that men and women are persons and as persons should be free, and yet to do nothing tangible to make this affirmation a reality, is a farce.”

- Paulo Freire

“To be nobody-but-yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you like everybody else - means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting."

- E. E. Cummings

"The children who know how to think for themselves spoil the harmony of the collective society which is coming, where everyone would be interdependent."
— John Dewey

"The most extraordinary thing about a really good teacher is that he or she transcends accepted educational methods."
— Margaret Mead

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. To be your own man is hard business. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."
— Rudyard Kipling

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others."

- Matthew 5:14-16

Upon consulting some of the great historical voices on the matter, a few thoughts bubble to the surface.

1) Education and freedom are interdependent
2) To see something unjust but do nothing about it is ridiculous
3) It is a rebellious thing to want to improve the lives of yourself and others
4) Uniqueness and/or self-discovery are worth the lonliness they might create
4) Society would rather you shut up, do what you're told and eat a cookie

I clearly have strong feelings on the matter.  I am fascinated by the current state of our educational systems because of the aforementioned reasons but also because we seem to find ourselves in a very distracting historical time frame.  The question of the teacher's place in society is difficult enough under normal circumstances.  When brought up at the "dawn of a new fronteir" when new technology is available in just about every form, the heart of what it means to educate feels murky at best. 


Are we just distracting ourselves from the meat of education in America with a multitude of new ways to "improve" and "succeed" or is this the beginning of a Rennaissance in educational reform?