This chapter seemed to portray a balance between learning in the classroom and learning in the community. I liked the reference being made to moving learning outside of the classroom and into the community where students come to see the link and connection between their academic work and its relation to the rest of their lives. The importance of technological literacy and success in the digital workplace is a necessary component in establishing a partnership with the business community of any school or educational arena. From this exposure students and community alike are seeing the relevance to work experience and the development of a work ethic as shared by mentors. The necessary skill of collaboration is witnessed by having students connect meaningfully to a community or business workplace. Students also see the relevance to how schooling and the skills developed are significant and where the real-world connections are made. They can experience those real-world connections of collaboration, cooperation and problem-solving skills on a daily basis.
Our school has begun to take part in an education to careers movement where students are exposed to careers by interest and choice. Local government becomes a reality for students when they take part in Youth and Government opportunities. Community businesses, such as cable companies have made connections into schools for students to see how aspects of this workplace takes on many roles in the community and the importance of skills such as communication, including public speaking and writing. I think business partnerships will see success in the future of education by providing a glimpse of the importance of skills necessary to be successful in life. It’s when students see relevance and a connection that they engage in learning partnerships.
One of the most significant aspects of this chapter is the statement that change needs to be fundamental and supported over time. This statement is very true. Change does not come quickly or easily. Change is normally slow, with some reverting back to the old while making progress into the new. The goal of schools today is to maintain high expectations and provide an environment that supports learning. This means high expectations for all learners.
In our school, we seek parents and community members for all of our forums. For our Planning Committees, including Finance and Programs Committees, community partnerships and feedback are critical in establishing commitments from all stakeholders regarding expectations. The involvement of all stakeholders establishes a requisite system of accountability.
I was impressed with some of Tinker’s beliefs. His views proposed questions regarding the technology revolution and how trends impact educational change led me to question not so much the Why? , but the Why Not? when we look at possibilities for education and technology. I agree with his thinking regarding globalization, where all kinds of undesirable resources will be increasingly available. It will be necessary for educators of today to develop the skills to share with students to maximize skills in scrutinizing and evaluating appropriate resources available on the Internet.
I see online education becoming more prevalent in the K-12 structure. Currently, I have a number of students involved in global projects, where they interact, provide and analyze data based on their projects with a larger audience. Students are excited about problem-based learning and projects that have no ceiling or limitations. This is where I see true differentiation in education based on needs and interests take place. I think students and teachers would be engaged in online education and projects if they had the skills and avenues open for this type of collaboration. I also see this is a great possibility for individualized education taking place. Interests and needs of learners of all levels could be addressed through an online interface.
My personal view of online education has taken a different form since being involved in CTER. Although I had a fairly basic overview of what the possibilities would be in an online program, those possibilities have been maximized in many ways. Now, after being involved with the CTER program, I can validate the quality of certain online programs and courses. When others make reference to online programs being something that have no relation to the rigor of the CTER Program, I appreciate the well-structured, collaborative, activity-based learning and assessment opportunities that CTER provides. CTER is a very well designed program that facilitates educational rigor. I see a continued increase in online programming taking place, although it will be necessary for educators to look at the newly developed programs with scrutiny and possibly use CTER as an exemplary model.