The possibilities for the future of education continue to expand, amaze and excite all of us at Eduporium. Whether it’s establishing a fully hands-on classroom or employing some of the latest trends like 3D printing, we are definitely in the midst of an education revolution.
The Future of Learning Lies in ‘Doing’
Education has come such a long way by incorporating STEM skills, preaching the importance of hands-on learning and demanding kids keep up with the continuum of modern EdTech tools. We’ve seen it evolve so much over just the last few years alone and plenty of people are beginning to wonder about its future. Will it get filled with even more technology? Will there be textbooks at? Will there even be teachers present all the time? Will there have to be?
Kids are adapting to become almost entirely self-sufficient or at least able to know that they do not always need guided instructions in order to learn and develop. Perhaps the biggest obstacle to the future’s ideal education is access. Whether it is physical, financial or just the unwillingness of administrators to embrace innovation in the form of educational technology, something is always standing in the way. While one, or perhaps all, of these roadblocks pose a hindrance to one teacher or another, there are ways around it. Soon, however, education seems likely to be revolutionized in such a way that will see afterschool clubs and activities become as close to the norm as possible. Perhaps an eighth period will be in the making as students crave new ways of learning with fun, innovative and team-boosting tools.
Afterschool programs should keep the same intentions as classroom hours. Specifically, if they aren’t advancing comprehension, enabling hands-on learning or encouraging collaboration, it probably isn’t worth exploring. It’s also possible that afterschool programs can be used as a foundation that ultimately leads to regular STEM and maker activities as part of the school curriculum. Sometimes all it takes is one fellow teacher or one intrigued parent to see the positivity that comes out of deeper learning in practice to start a movement. The Maker Movement, for one, is a pretty good one to start, but it’s okay if it takes a bit of time to develop. The future of learning is in doing. Technology helps kids learn and retain material on much deeper levels. Stop wasting time.
3D Printing: How Big Will It Be?
With all the innovation going on in the world—driverless cars, five-dollar computers and so on—one of the most fascinating and least talked about has been the emergence of 3D printing. Correction: the least talked about until now. Recently, 3D printing has opened up thousands of unique and revolutionized avenues and provided solutions for many of today’s problems. Kids are able to print their own prosthetic limbs or create customized, diet-appropriate foods, for instance. It’s now that 3D printing is beginning to pierce the education world—and soon, there will be one in every school library in the country.
The possibilities—at least right now—for 3D printing appear to be endless. So, it should come as no surprise that innovative schools and districts have rapidly begun introducing them into either afterschool programs or even their curricula. There is a good chance today’s kids will need to know how to load the cartridge, enter the measurements and print their own tools as future jobs could very well have a lot to do with 3D printing. Reports indicate that worldwide 3D printer shipments are expected to double in 2016 and that has a lot to do with increasing demand from K-12 users. Their hands-on approach to learning coupled with the ability to create physical objects from digital plans are what’s driving educators to get their students using them—that and their ability to enhance STEAM education.
Large companies and renowned brands have used 3D printers to create the latest versions of their products and there has even been talk about 3D printing cars or houses. For consumer 3D printers (usually running around $2,500 and standing a foot or two tall), the primary interest has come from schools, according to reports. The quality and speed of today’s 3D printers has improved tremendously from early versions and now instead of waiting two or three days for an object, it takes just two or three hours. When children are able to undeniably see the physical results of their creative thinking, it really brings reality into the classroom—something that more and more teachers are beginning to realize. Expect that by 2019, 3D printer shipments will reach 5.6 million.
Shake it Up; Improve Learning
What if we told you the secret to improving learning, retention and education overall lied in schools just simply relaxing a bit? Schools and districts can create policies that, on paper, have students’ best interests in mind, but how can their notes scribbled over hundreds of pages create the best way to relate to the individuality that each student possesses? The goal of most teachers is simple: they want every one of their students to master every concept, fact and formula they throw at them from September to June. Whatever their intellectual, emotional or economic standing, however, this simply is not a realistic goal and something needs to be done to remove or—better yet —refine this way of thinking.
One of the biggest qualities of learning that contemporary educators are trying to promote is the notion of equality. It’s tough—and getting tougher—to find the proper balance between challenging enough for every student in the classroom and not getting too far ahead of their skills and abilities. Whether it’s providing all students with the same opportunities for one-on-one instruction or making sure they have access to innovative technologies, school systems are realizing the importance of doing their part to make sure that learning is as equal as possible. What the regular use of technology accomplishes is a leveling of the playing field. For example, students who may not be as adept as their counterparts are able to engage in a way that’s fun and relevant and become more likely to retain the key concepts when they are actively experimenting.
Achieving this elusive level of equality in learning and then finding a way to maintain in throughout the school year (or even over multiple years) is no easy task. Different kids learn in different ways, so making learning personal essentially involves customizing it for each child. Some ways to combat this fact have been instituting what some would call new-age approaches to education, including, blended learning, project-based learning, inquiry-based learning and mobile learning among other trials. Any of the above is a great place to start. So, while it is probably impossible to create the perfect classroom due to the differences in teaching and learning styles among each student and for the teacher, there are ways to achieve deeper learning beyond pen-and-paper methods. Centering on hands-on activity, 21st century skills are developed when kids get up and take learning into their own hands as opposed to reading from a textbook and hoping that enough of the material sticks.
PBL Problems? It’s Okay, They Happen
So, you got the go ahead to give project-based learning a try and after spending a good couple days searching for the best tech and project ideas online, it was time to get started! Only nothing worked. Like, nothing at all. It’s okay—you’re not the first teacher whom technology has failed, in fact it seems to happen rather frequently. The glitches, we can assume, weren’t your fault and definitely don’t define the project-based unit. A number of small details could go wrong (or they could all go wrong at once), but it’s how you adapt, adjust and make up for it that matters.
The good news is that there are so many ways to approach PBL that spark student success and, more importantly, there is no wrong way! Keep in mind, too, that even the most carefully planned projects could go awry and may require time to tweak and reflect on why it failed. Teachers need to be constant observers—always taking in how well students are engaged, how well they are collaborating and, of course, whether the technology is functioning properly. The most important of the three is monitoring student engagement. If their interest is lagging, the finished work is low quality or the project was not equally accessible to each student, then adjustments need to be made.
Once you identify the problem with the projects and ponder possible remedies, it’s important to remember that it’s okay to fail—especially if it was the first try. Of course, you’ll be thinking a mile a minute on how you can do better next time, but here are a few more helpful tips to keep in mind. Students should be able to choose what they’re going to be working on, should be doing work that matters to them and matters in the real world and it should be constantly giving them opportunities to be creative. Remember also to break the projects down into smaller sections and use your observation skills to identify if any students need a little extra help with the work. Another smart solution may be to have everyone stop and switch the groups up a bit. Fresh eyes can see ways to improve projects and kids can offer each other feedback that they will understand when given the chance. So, next week just remember to explain your expectations clearly, provide quality resources that spark new ideas, consider how students will share their work with others and, above all else, let them know you value their effort.
Blended Learning That’s Effective
We all know that when face-to-face learning is combined with at-home online learning, the blended result provides an effective way to teach and learn. Students benefit from the variety in the learning approaches, which feature the same time-tested instructional methods but also include group collaboration and immediate feedback. They’re able to feel more comfortable as material gets more complex because this variety allows for them to learn at their own preferred pace. The ultimate goal of blended learning now is to somehow use educational technology to combine these two benefits into a new-age, engaging and preparatory way to teach in the 21st century.
Ideally, the most effective models of blended learning will achieve the two goals mentioned in the opening paragraph. As even the most seasoned educators will admit, however, marrying them without hiccup unfortunately does present a bit of a challenge. Fortunately, others have been there and now we can provide some helpful information that can be used to create the best blended learning. As teachers try to relate to students using EdTech tools they will respond to, they should also place emphasis on identifying a group (or even just one) of clear learning objectives, prepare in-depth course outlines to guide their students and set a goal for a certain amount of interactivity in and out of the classroom.
The best part about creating a blended program is the control that you have over most of its aspects. The interactivity levels and technology use, for example, can be altered to best cater to the characteristics of the particular class. Group work is also an easy way to enhance the blend—and not just for students. Teachers can and should take advantage of colleagues who have adopted blended learning or just hop online to find a thousand suggestions just like this! Some final things to consider include deciding how students should communicate with you, always saving links and resources for future use and trying a few different assessment approaches to see which works best for tracking student progress. Happy blending!
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