Is it true that today's youth are not really interested in schooling? " teacher I hate school " this is what I was told by one of my grade 12 students in a public school in Halifax just two days ago.I know this is a single case but it is just the emerging part of the iceberg. Below is an example of the American case. Read the frightening stats about test scores and drop out rates among students. America is not alone in this for ,out of my decent expeirnece in teaching in different countries in Africa and Europe and now in Canada, I can strongly confirm the fact that several other educational systems suffer more or less the same flaws.
" Open any newspaper and the story is the same: The American educational system is tragically failing our youth.Student test scores are dismal and drop out rates are astronomical . But many experts believe that the burgeoning field of educational technology provides hope and with Apple's big announcement this week, they might just be right".
Do you think technology and Apple in particular can do any good to our educational failures? Is is the remedy we have been long waiting for ? read the infographic below to learn more and don't forget to share it with your colleagues and friends.
Via: OnlineEducation.net
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I would not call it a "disruption", but an improvement!
ReplyDeleteTechnology cannot save education but it can improve it. Here in the UK, our media also complain that us teachers are failing students but what they really mean is that they are disappointed that every school is not achieving 100% grade A-C. They will never be satisfied.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, we should strive to improve - saying "that's just the way it is" is not an option. I like the idea of every student having an iPad but let's not forget that today's technology is tomorrow's junk. Will Apple pay for the replacement of all these devices? Apple is a business and as such it is focussed on making money above all else. We also seem to forget that Apple nearly went bust in 1996 before Steve Jobs came along.
I teach IT but I know not all students love my subject because they would rather use the computer to play Angry Birds rather than learn how to create a spreadsheet.
It is the teachers who should use the latest technology as a tool to make their subjects more interesting rather than assuming that all students would teach themselves independently if they had an iPad in front of them. I run a business that provides a rewards system for schools, which is a useful tool for teachers in motivating students. It is the lack of motivation that I feel is the real reason for those drop-outs but there are many issues that contribute to all those statistics.
Educational technology offers fantastic opportunity for educational improvement but will never work until underlying pedagogy and curriculum change.
ReplyDeleteIt is as if one is given a jet fighter plane but insists on only driving it down a dirt road behind a horse and buggy.