Digital natives: Are schools foreign to them?
Dr. Jason Huett
Technology guru and University of West Georgia professor Jason B. Huett said a frontier teacher from a century ago popped into today’s modern era would be agape at the changes she saw every place but one — the classroom.
“When she walked into a school, she would immediately know what this is, and she could pretty much swap her prairie dress for a pants suit and go right to work,” said Huett, West Georgia’s associate dean of online development and USG eCore, a multi-institution collaborative where college students can take classes online.
Huett is among the those urging schools to use technology to make schools more relevant, accessible and flexible and less like a prison sentence.
School districts are heeding that advice — to a point.
For example, DeKalb County Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson announced this week that more than 8,200 students at seven middle schools will receive netbooks in the fall loaded with all their textbooks.
“And by August of 2o14, every student — all middle schools and all high schools — will have their own device,” she said. Every teacher will be getting a laptop.
Even better, all 138 DeKalb schools will be wireless by August, she said. Now, only 38 percent of the district is wireless.
“The fact is that our students are digital natives and active learners,” said Atkinson, speaking at a DeKalb Chamber of Commerce luncheon. “The fact is, they are not limited to the classroom. The fact is, they use the laptop and not the pencil. The fact is … they can’t wait for us to catch up to their style of learning, nor should they have to.”
But are schools catching up fast enough to the realities of a world where today’s young learner will have 10 to 14 jobs by age 38?
Students will have to be flexible and adaptable to thrive in this new marketplace. Huett said, “One of the new rules: If you can be out outsourced, you will be outsourced. Are you essential?”
Huett urges a deeper rethinking of how schools function, including the entrenched notion that learning has to be delivered 180 days a year between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Education can no longer be “a cage for every age where we lock students into this planned track,” he said.
Speaking at a Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education forum earlier this year, Huett explained why he fled k-12 education after five years to teach in college: “It felt like I was beating my head into a brick wall. I don’t like to teach people who don’t want to learn.” (Watch video of his talk here.)
He blames a factory model that puts all students on a conveyor belt set to medium speed.
“And the ones that could move ahead faster, we just tell them tough luck. You need to stay on this conveyor belt at medium speed,” Huett said. “And if you are too slow on that conveyor belt, we will take you off, retool you a bit and start you back up at the beginning. We are going to keep running you through this mass-produced system where discipline and order are emphasized above all else.”
To illustrate his point about the tedium of school, Huett shared his favorite student evaluation of a course: “If I had one hour to live, I’d spend it in this class because it feels like an eternity.”
That evaluation resonates because extreme boredom drove Huett to drop out of high school.
“I didn’t stay out for long, mostly because my mother was waking me up every morning by dumping ice cold water on me and telling me to go find a job,” he said. “I was bored to death. When I left school, I honestly did so because I really couldn’t fit in that environment. I was the kind of person who would rather have a fork stuck in my eye than sit for eight hours and listen to someone talk at me.”
Huett said schools have to change because their role has changed. Schools no longer have a monopoly on information. Kids can reach into their pockets, pull out their smart phones and get multiple lifetimes of information. Students need schools to teach them how to critically process all that information, he said.
But Huett cautions educators to avoid the two extremes — online education is going to fix everything or it’s going to ruin everything. “Real reform is almost always to be found in the middle,” he said.
And target reform where it matters. “The meat of real educational reform almost always occurs between the interaction of teacher and student,” he said. “If it isn’t clearly examining and improving that relationship, it probably isn’t going to work.”
–from Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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174 comments Add your comment
Private Citizen
December 7th, 2012
11:46 am
Hey Teacher, great comment. You really made me chuckle. Technology breaks, computer lab goes glitch, paper is lost. Sounds like a soviet era car. And that would be Microsoft products you’re using, the same folks who give “free software” and then set-up a computer culture – especially for the dumb community colleges – of using their stuff AND training people on it? Now, I love community colleges, but I have seen inept computing combined with portable signs in the college drives to direct people to the Microsoft certification trainings.
Anyway, desktop computing is a beautiful thing if you know how to do it. It is unfortunate that for a while, many U. S. regular people have been subjected to computing that requires a subculture of little shops to fix things that are supposed to be working. My computing is so rock solid it’s practically boring. I don’t use anything special, and no virus protection or niche gimmicks or nuthin. But I understands the basics of how to do it, which is directly in opposition to the U. S. empire monopoly approach that wants to put you to sleep with all of this dopey “My Computer” vanity garbage. I agree with you that a computer should be like a toaster or any other appliance. It is a machine that you use and make do things, nothing more. Seriously, this is one thing I appreciate about taking a break from the government schools is that there is it wall-to-wall Microsoft mono-culture for computing. The alternative seems to be the expensive Apple products. Well, I do not use either and believe in neither and neither of them is my comfort zone. It is fatiguing to be around so much of technology people who don’t know what they’re doing and enforce a monoculture. The sole reasoning to use Microsoft in an education environment is for the numerous ways to both surveille people and prevent them access, like being able to offload your own emails files, which are kept locked up in “Outlook” in the government system. So.Much.Fail. – for a teacher in the school house, Microsoft computing makes North Korea look like a nice place regarding freedom.
“Let’s design a computing system so workers can not remove or personally archive any of their own email.” (sly expression) “Sounds good.”
bootney farnsworth
December 7th, 2012
11:53 am
@ mountain man,
while I feel you, reality is against the thought.
we used to think the best way to teach was a room full of kids taught be a barely educated woman.
it used to be Sr. Margaret Mary beating the hell out of a kid was appropriate “motivation”
-just like all cars had sticks and carbs, we now get better mileage from computerized fuel injection (unless you’re a gearhead)
we gotta deal with the kids where they are, not where we want them to be
V for Vendetta
December 7th, 2012
11:59 am
Maureen,
Good to be here. I’ve been swamped lately. I’ve picked up a few more responsibilities around school that have eliminated the tiny fractions of time during the day in which I would chime in and post. Also, as I’m sure you know, as your kids get older your free time ceases to be your free time. Such is life. I’ll try to drop in a bit more often, though.
living in an outdated ed system
December 7th, 2012
12:54 pm
The fact that people think teaching has evolved is an ignorant statement!! When are the personal attacks going to be removed from this blog???? Pathetic.
Private Citizen
December 7th, 2012
1:22 pm
Microsoft computing is a good metaphor for the danger of controlled curriculum, that it can be caged and exploited and people taught information in a way that is not in their best interest.
For example, teacher technology training is generally going to be based in how to apply software / applications in a Microsoft computing environment. If you tell someone they can use LibreOffice http://www.libreoffice.org/ (no cost for program) in place of Microsoft “Office” http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Microsoft+Office+Home+and+Student+2010+-+Windows/9894452.p?id=1218190976111 ($149.) you are going against the script. Additionally, there are students who will freak out and feel disoriented because they have been so thoroughly conditioned to do things one way and pull money out of their own purse and pay for it. Meanwhile, outside of the United States, high end governments are saving millions of dollars implementing this approach, but it U. S. teacher technology training, you will not find it.
Hmmm. Let me see if I can locate a syllabus online, just as an experiment….
at Western Nevada College, http://www.wnc.edu/ they’re teaching the application of free software in the manner that I describe. According to syllabus for EDU214 – Preparing Teachers To Use Technology :
If your productivity software is other than Microsoft Office 2007/2010… you could download/install and use the free Open Office suite, by the Apache Software Foundation (ASF), PC version…
audio wave editor that creates mp3 files. You could download/install and use the free Audacity sound editor. If you choose to use Audacity you must also download the free LAME MP3 encoder to be able to convert Audacity sound files to mp3 files
, http://www.wnc.edu/files/syllabus/20123_edu_214_w01_black.pdf
_________________________
Meanwhile, the guy at Tennessee Tech who teaches “emerging technology” to teachers ( FOED 3010: Integrating Instructional Technology into the Classroom) is not teaching them how to use “emerging” free software and instead specifying expensive proprietary Apple and Promethean products: http://www.teachingwithtech.net/syllabus/
I guess he missed the part at the ranch where you learn to ride a horse.
______________
this looks interesting, UGA 20/20 Series: real life stories of death by “PowerPoint” http://www.coe.uga.edu/itt/2020-2/
by the way, the correct term is “presentation software.” “PowerPoint” is a trademark owned my Microsoft, it is not a term for a type of application / software.
10:10 am
December 7th, 2012
1:23 pm
@blabney farnsworth:
Still living in your mother’s basement and squandering her bandwidth (along with way too many of Maureen’s column inches)?
Private Citizen
December 7th, 2012
3:11 pm
Dearest Jason,
You’re prescribing outdated computer mono-culture. I object to your course “Software requirements: Microsoft Office 2003 or higher.” http://www.westga.edu/share/documents/syllabi/medt_7472_010709.pdf
for one thing, it won’t even run on my computing of choice that has all of that stuff built in http://www.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/features . Microsoft has denied the cross-platform distribution of “Office” even if I wanted to use it (which I don’t). You are force-marketing for Microsoft to your students. I note you provide them no alternative or otherwise educate them in this manner. It is a serious matter. You are force-requiring a computer monoculture, doing marketing for Microsoft, which is an expensive and obsolete approach to computing. This company has been fined a billion dollars, enforced upon appeal, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203897404578076223368670946.html (Oct 2012 – please check the brief article comments, too) based on the sort of thing you are doing to your students, and significantly training them to launch into their careers and perpetuate the same thing as “the way it is done.” It is not “the way it is done” and the future and economic efficiencies of Georgia deserve better rather that being harnessed to this retrogressive stuff. It’s not how Google or Amazon.com do it and it’s not what runs YouTube, either. And if you will note, all of that stuff always works. Google is spending less money on the software to run their company than UWG is spending on Microsoft Office licensing.
-Hey, take care and thank you for the good work you do.
PPS Jason it is really horrific experience to be a technically literate student in an education course where students are active steered in the wrong direction against their interests including their time and grocery money.
PPS Any browser running Java will run your “Wimba” application just fine.
disclaimer: I used to use Mandrake and SuSE.
Private Citizen
December 7th, 2012
3:18 pm
Pardon the WSJ link-to-article paywall. Here is similar information, http://slashdot.org/story/12/06/27/1228254/eu-court-upholds-microsoft-antitrust-fines
Here is an interesting article from just a day or two ago. “”Microsoft is trying to make up for below expected earnings following Windows 8’s and Surface RT’s lack luster adoption rates by increasing the prices of its products between 8 and 400 per cent.” http://news.slashdot.org/story/12/12/04/0142250/microsoft-steeply-raising-enterprise-licensing-fees
UWG is writing checks for that stuff. Don’t get caught in a trap. The company is obsolete and there are newer ways to do computing.
Private Citizen
December 7th, 2012
3:31 pm
Time required to completely wipe clean the hard drive of a “PC” and use a usb stick (install) and network connection (one update) to install Ubuntu operating system and included core applications: about 30 minutes. Cost for software: suggested donation of $12. if desired.
This computing approach will run everything specified in your syllabus. There is the added benefit that “old computers” tend to do just fine with it, as it is efficient and not “resource hungry.” Care for the environment, less landfill, all of that.
bootney farnsworth
December 7th, 2012
4:05 pm
@ 10:10
what name did you used to post under?
bootney farnsworth
December 7th, 2012
4:08 pm
@ living
I was very clear. your comment was ignorant. I stand by that. ignorant and idiotic.
that was a clear comment on your statement, not you.
this is directed to you: grow up and stop acting like a faux wounded high school girl. if you put out an ignorant statement, its fair game. same as if I do, or anyone else here
bootney farnsworth
December 7th, 2012
4:14 pm
@ 10:10
if you can create a valid list of shop stewards in DeKalb, Clayton, Cobb, Henry, and GPC and Ga State I will issue a public apology, admin I was wrong, and that you are a genius, visionary, and trailblazer.
all you gotta do is come up with the list of shop stewards and the local they are attached to.
and to save you time, red meat Fran won’t have this on any talking points
Truth in Moderation
December 7th, 2012
4:30 pm
@V
You wrote:
“We’ve worked hard over the years to get religion out of schools. That way, we can focus on things like facts.”
“For a future model of what learning CAN become, I would point people towards the Khan Academy..”
Coincidentally, today I decided to fire up Khan Academy to spice up my geometry curriculum. I called up the first video under “Introduction to Euclidean geometry” called “Euclid as the Father of Geometry.”
I was pleasantly surprised to see a quote by Euclid, “The laws of nature are but the mathematical thoughts of God,” used as the intro to the video.
Alas, poor V. You will have to remove heretic Khan from your approved list.
Truth in Moderation
December 7th, 2012
4:31 pm
Enter your comments here
Brandy
December 7th, 2012
4:41 pm
@V, Completely agree.
Truth in Moderation
December 7th, 2012
4:46 pm
@ Trademark/Private Citizen
“It’s not how Google or Amazon.com do it and it’s not what runs YouTube”
Jealous much? Apart from Apple, these companies would cease to exist. Your clan hates Steve Jobs because his biological parents are Syrian. Get over it.
Truth in Moderation
December 7th, 2012
5:00 pm
Oh No!
Whatever you do Vendetta, DON’T load this Khan Academy video!
You will SHATTER your reputation…
http://www.khanacademy.org/math/geometry/intro-to-euclidean-geo/v/euclid-as-the-father-of-geometry
“Euclid as the Father of Geometry”
Truth in Moderation
December 7th, 2012
5:03 pm
Oh No!
Vendetta, DON’T LOAD THIS VIDEO from the Khan Academy website:
“Euclid as the Father of Geometry”
Otherwise, YOUR REPUTATION WILL BE SHATTERED!
living in an outdated ed system
December 7th, 2012
5:08 pm
@Bootney, I can’t even begin to list all of your ignorant comments on this blog. You should be removed from this blog for the personal attacks you levy on people. @Maureen likes to say I was hostile to bloggers in the past, but you take the cake.
Your comments are disrespectful and unworthy of an intelligent response. You can rationalize your comment all you want – what you said was pathetic and I am so glad you never taught my children!
living in an outdated ed system
December 7th, 2012
5:10 pm
And BTW – I backed up my statement with fact – you took it completely out of context. Textbooks are outdated! Books are important, but less so in physical form. But with you minimal intellect, I guess I have to provide more details for you to get my point!
Get back to the issues and stop being hostile to bloggers on here. It’s getting old.
Georgia and education not compatible
December 7th, 2012
5:23 pm
Dr. Huett was my professor in the graduate program for school library media @ UWG. Very realistic and hilarious. Funniest line that I remember from his class happened when a student came to him about not being able to pass his class, “That’s OK..you’ll catch on the second time you pay for it.”
Great teacher!
Private Citizen
December 7th, 2012
6:39 pm
Truth in Moderation, “It’s not how Google or Amazon.com do it and it’s not what runs YouTube” -Jealous much?
No, silly. I do it the same way. I was applying this before Google was a company and then (unrelated to me) Google built their whole concept on the same way of doing computing, which made me very very happy. I have some back, personally and in family, with systems design and consutling during the develppment phase of products, so it does not suprise me, frankly, that I could resonate with the fundmentals of it that are now scaling on a world level. ‘Will be nice as it continues. The think I did not foresee was the jump to Android phones and tablets, which are essentially running the same software fundamental as Google/Amazon/YouTube etc.
FYI, all of it non-Microsoft and non-Apple, which is why is it retrogressive to see teacher technology classes referring to “PC” and “Apple” as computing. When your pal Mr. Jobs improved their Apple operating system, they imported many of the same architecture fundamentals that was when their stuff tightened. Point is, they turn it into proprietary and sell it as boutique products. If you review the links in my initial post on the subject, I tell you how to do the same thing for $12. if you like, and zero $ if you’d rather go buy some fresh produce instead. (licensing is based on donation).
This is obviously a foreign concept to you because it is not commercially marketed. It is the same distribution system in play at Archive.org. There is no fee, but you can make a donation is you have means. I’d buy a new transmission for my car before I paid the price for an Apple computer. They basically have zero relevance to non-wealthy persons, although Apple does like a lot of swank industrial design (the Faberge egg of recent times?). Steve Jobs family is from Syria? Cool! although, man, that guy commissioned an ugly boat (looks like an Apple store?) http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/29/tech/web/steve-jobs-yacht/index.html . Now it’s a question of what to do with it. To be frank with you, I just do not care for the “i-life” marketing. I don’t need it, personally and I know for a fact it does not economically scale. As smart as you are you should understand that concept. Do to proprietary hardware, the price is was WAY up there.
T-Pain likes it though. Maybe you and he have something in common. Maybe not since he uses Apple as a professional product required for his career (audio / video production). Most college students and teachers do not need to make pro-level hit records using their laptop as the production tool, so that level of sophistication is inappropriate and impractical for populist application.
Anyway, TiM, there is a chronology to who did and developed what. It is changing and maturing, thank goodness. There are a number of U. S. foundation persons who should be recognised, such as Ian Murdock from Purdue University. In my opinion, his work outweighs the infamous and intense Mr. Jobs by a measure.
Hey, just for fun. Here’s a chart from Klaus Knopper, who invented the bootable cd that has turned into the bootable usb, since compact discs are obsolete. The chart shows operating systems that have branched out from Knopper’s work on his own operating system “Knoppix,” which is part of the whole Google/Amazon/YouTube computing method I have been harping about, as we should recognise what works and what is economically efficient. It is a nice graphic, website is served from Spain, although reading through some links, I would make a guess that the site owner is Finnish. http://futurist.se/gldt/wp-content/uploads/subtrees/knoppix1010.png
Private Citizen
December 7th, 2012
6:51 pm
TiM, this guy is a very very smart boy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Knopper Read the link to see the type terms and technology the rest of the world uses for computing outside of the Microsoft / Apple marketing zone, what is considered “the everyday approach” to literate computer applications persons (you know, like the ones hired by Google/Amazon/YouTube….)
Truth in Moderation
December 7th, 2012
6:51 pm
Mac vs fat PC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0rzYKyeLz4
Pride and Joy
December 7th, 2012
6:58 pm
If Cheryl gave my kid a notebook, I’d throw it in the trash and giver her a pencil and paper.
We need to teach children reading, writing and arithmetic! This emphasis on technology is nothing more than an easy way to distract people with expensive gadgets.
Private Citizen
December 7th, 2012
7:09 pm
TiM,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA_Di-P5WR4
Chris Sanchez
December 7th, 2012
7:30 pm
An op-ed I completely agree with. Having done my undergraduate work and first master’s degree in the classroom and a second master’s online, I can attest to the fact that a serious rethink about education delivery must happen.
Private Citizen
December 7th, 2012
7:53 pm
TiM, here is some work done, using Apple computing, by Michael Gregory who attended Appalachian State University in the enchanted mountains of North Carolina. http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=sP4NMoJcFd4 If you want to Songify the News and network with T-Pain, it’s good equipment, but a closed system designed for production professionals. Good tool for the Gregories, Now, please excuse me while I go locate the air compressor and blow the crumbs out of the keyboard of this raggedy Lenova laptop I use. But I love it and it is easily replaceable. Plus, since it is a pro business-level modular design, I can remove and replace the keyboard if I have to and it takes five minutes. Try that with an Apple laptop product. it ain’t gwanna happen
Use ‘em! and break ‘em! and take ‘em apart!, and make ‘em!
Hillbilly D
December 7th, 2012
8:24 pm
We need to teach children reading, writing and arithmetic!
I agree with that. Calculators were just coming along when I got out of school (and they cost like $100, too). One or two brought them in but they weren’t allowed to use them. I can still do addition, subtraction, multiplication and long division, with a pencil, when I don’t have a calculator handy. I’ve had kids around 19-20 years old who worked for me, that were lost without a calculator. They were bright kids, they’d just never been taught and/or had the necessary repetition for the skills to sink in.
Snarkysnake
December 7th, 2012
8:40 pm
” You should be removed from this blog for the personal attacks you levy on people. ”
I must (respectfully) disagree. I wish it were mandatory that people like this guy be made to post here. When the average taxpayer sees what the educrats really think of them and their kids, our job of winning the heats and minds of voters (and legislators) is made much easier. I have actually had people read aloud his drivel for a good laugh. Usually,these people take condescension a lot more, um , charitably than thin skinned ‘ol Bootney ever would. You can tell that you scored one when he goes ad hominem on you.
The war against the educrats has become a guerilla war. So put on your gorilla suit and support your legislators that have the courage to buck the self interested education cartel and vote for real reform. They’ll call you names (ignorant being their current favorite, or racist or what have you) but remember, in a fair election, almost 60% of your fellow voters stood with you. You are not alone.
Be of good cheer.
Snarkysnake
December 7th, 2012
9:08 pm
*heats= hearts
10:10 am
December 7th, 2012
9:36 pm
@ blabney farnsworth:
Still in denial that the National Education Association is labeled a union in the media, and touts its own union status not only to the Internal Revenue Service but openly on its own website?
Those (GAE/NEA) teachers who pay dues to it … are union members … even though that extra $168 in yearly NEA dues mostly pays for union stewards and liberal mischief in other states:
ref: http://goo.gl/rtJIZ (NEA campaign donations)
ref: http://goo.gl/bNdPt (NEA liberal causes)
Dr. Monica Henson
December 7th, 2012
11:00 pm
10:10 am is correct about unions and Georgia. A portion of GAE dues go directly to the NEA. The NEA then uses those funds to support its political agenda, which is to defend the status quo and advocate for lower class sizes (which would require more teachers, that then would pay union dues) and higher pay based purely on seniority and additional degrees while fending off accountability for student outcomes.
Ron
December 8th, 2012
8:29 am
I agree with quite a few people on this post: The verdict is still out on whether digital learning is really superior or not to the traditional classroom. Just because devices are convenient or faster doesn’t make them better, nor do they necessarily improve quality of life. In, short digital learning is overrated and simply a ploy to get people hooked into a new consumer industry.
Lee
December 8th, 2012
9:18 am
{{{yawn}}}
Technology gonna save the day….
Remember back in the 80’s when they said the computer would put the paper industry out of business? ROFLMAO at that one. Best thing that ever happened to them. My company brings in printer paper by the truck load.
“For example, DeKalb County Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson announced this week that more than 8,200 students at seven middle schools will receive netbooks in the fall loaded with all their textbooks.”
It will be interesting to see how many of those netbooks survive one year. Conventional wisdom says a significant percentage will be lost or destroyed.
More feasible would be for the school to set up a website where students could log in and access their textbooks. But then you would have cries of some type of “-ism” because certain folks don’t have access to computers.
One thing I have learned about technology geeks is that they love their toys and think everything can be solved by electronics. Sorta like the old saw about “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”.
In my office, if the network goes down, 95% of the work comes to a halt. Can’t even make a phone call.
cris
December 8th, 2012
9:35 am
@Private Citizen, really wish you would quit highjacking this blog to further your own agenda – now it’s operating systems, a month ago it was health care…why don’t you start your own blog?
I’ve seen Dr. Huett speak and he’s not against traditional learning and skills – surprisingly – he’s just speaking the truth when he says that the students of today need to be taught with the tools of today. Back in the 50’s, they didn’t make you write with a feather pen dipped in ink did they? He does see technology as a tool (admittedly quite a bit more advanced than a ball point pen), but it is just a tool – one that we all need to be fluent with. You can open any newspaper (real or online) and read about how there are jobs available, but the people that apply for them are lacking the skills to fill them – usually computer skills.
living in an outdated ed system
December 8th, 2012
9:52 am
@snarkysnake – thank you for your support. We will reform public education in Georgia, because a 67% graduation rate is, frankly, embarrassing. Our children deserve better!
Private Citizen
December 8th, 2012
10:13 am
cris, The conditions in much of Georgia are desperate. I’d like to do something about it. If they stopped writing checks to Microsoft for “Office” licensing, which is specified in Dr. Huett’s syllabus – if you care to read it – and applied that money to public medical, which is how things are done in places with higher standard of living then here, it would be a difference. Yes, I am actively trying to educate people (like you) with my comments. I guess I am a “change agent” except that I do not work for a corporation. Anyway, you should take things a little more seriously and cry some tears of shame over the conditions in your state. Digital is the future. Whether we like or not, books are obsolete. And operating system and associated applications have everything to do with spending money and where the money goes. I don’t like living in slum, Cris. I don’t like moving out of the slum in Georgia and finding out I have moved into a different slum in Georgia when I thought I was moving up or bettering myself. There is so much defeating lies and duplicity from government here and ignorance is plentiful. Hey Cris, let’s do something about it.
The Digerati
December 8th, 2012
10:16 am
Yes, Superintendent Atkinson putting textbooks on Netbooks … that’s the solution. The Digerati have convinced us that putting life into 1’s and 0’s is the solution to everything.
Private Citizen
December 8th, 2012
10:21 am
In my office, if the network goes down, 95% of the work comes to a halt. Can’t even make a phone call.
That’s because “you” don’t know what you’re doing in how to apply software. It would benefit us, including your servers and phone system, to change the computer culture here. The internet supply monopoly, Comcast etc., is not helping, either. We should be ashamed of these conditions of monopoly in “the business state.” 5 Comcast executives each pull $20 million a year in salary, and the school kids don’t have eyeglasses. That’s truth and fact. That’s a billion dollars in personal salary for ten years for five people.
Private Citizen
December 8th, 2012
10:34 am
One a different note: I just noted my local police dept. is marketing “faith” on their mainpage. Meanwhile they’ve built a brand new Taj Mahal city hall / police dept. and they have a boarded up shopping center next to them and the one place where the shopping center is open the shops are decrepit and the whole parking lot is worn/cracked asphalt that looks like it should be torn up and removed. In the school house, half the old door locks are broken, the building has significant climate / air issues no matter how many times they replace the main air system equipment. Somebody said something about “When the only new buildings are government buildings” and it’s true. And they’re doubling the size of the county jail thing, too, new construction. It’s like a concentration camp or something. The little police dept. has an online form for people to report other people. That’s right out of communist Stasi East Germany. It’s really disheartening. And there is literally thousands of kid here going to school every day like good little angels who have blurred vision. It’s so dysfunctional. Here’s the kicker, the new city hall / police dept. website has these beautiful pictures of flowers and “visionary” corporate type photos. They don’t show the boarded up shopping center next door. I guess they are waiting for God to come and for the dentist to appear from out of town and move there because it is so beautiful.
Private Citizen
December 8th, 2012
10:57 am
Dr. Huett’s been through a lot and has my respect and a good formation, particularly on his graduate schooling. Summa Cum Laude from San Marcos? Now that’s a hoot! (San Marcos is a classic “drinking” school), but he smartly moved up from there to his graduate studies. He’s from the same area as internet sensation Overly Attached Girlfriend. Denton is one of the most creative and smart college town places in the U. S. Congratulations on your schooling, Dr. Huett, you bring a lot to the table.
Private Citizen
December 8th, 2012
11:06 am
And here’s to Carl Finch and Brave Combo. Partying – Huett style: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCRtAwKPrS4
bootney farnsworth
December 8th, 2012
11:13 am
@ outdated
its very simple. I deal with the statement, and yes, when its stupid (case in point) I deal with it harshly I rarely comment on the poster, but in your case, yes, I have made an exception.
your faux high school girl outrage is sad, and if you can’t deal with having a stupid comment treated according, perhaps you would be better suited posting at Hannity.com where you can sing with the chorus instead of attempting to solo.
yes, you made your caveat clear, but it was still a stupid point. it ignores reality. it reminds me of when the used car salesman Steve Portch actually sold the state legislature on a semester conversion and claimed it would not cost the state a dime.
you are welcome to cherry pick facts all you want, but you are gonna have to deal with the blowback when you do.
bootney farnsworth
December 8th, 2012
11:25 am
@ 10:10
-the NEA is a union. no kidding
-Ga is a right to work state, and gov’t workers are by law not allowed to unionize
-you once again failed (or chose not to try) to back up your claim and prove your position.
-what Dr. Henson does not tell you is the GEA has the same standing as say, the Knights of Columbus or the KKK in Georgia. they can advocate all they wish, but have no power real or imagined to impact or moderate change for its members.
-the GEA can not call strikes, or pay strike wages
-the GEA has no seat at the table in matters of employee/management disputes. a fact I believe Dr. Henson should know all to well. she is touting administrative party line.
-the GEA offers legal advice, but has little if any ability to represent Joe Average. they do, however, throw their limited weight behind selected cases.
-the GEA cannot engage in collective representation for state workers in Georgia.
once again, what locals and what shop stewards represent state workers against management?
Private Citizen
December 8th, 2012
11:47 am
Good post, Bootney. Crisp and appropriate. My gut had a good gnarl this past week when I got a call from one of my colleague “inside” teachers who is at a different school than my recent one, and yet he is telling me of plans to displace the principal at my former school. They’re going to play more Chinese checkers with principals where I live. They do it regularly. That principal is dedicated and capable and they are going to mess him around like putting somebody in a blender. It’s an open issue that is not resolved. Charter schools are a nice idea, but it is <1% of the schools? These district schools are run like nasty little fiefdoms. They bring in good people, exploit them, and then mess them around.
Jason Huett
December 8th, 2012
11:51 am
Hello all! I would like to say thanks to everyone for the insightful comments. You have given me much to think about, and I appreciate that more than you know. I was honored, and completely surprised, to find myself the subject of Maureen’s wonderful blog. I am a fan of her writing and certainly never expected to find myself the center of it!
I thought I might take a little time to respond to some of the comments and themes emerging from the discussion. If I do not address you directly (and especially if I do!), please do not take offense as I sincerely appreciate all the comments.
I am not an evangelist for technology in the classroom. Any good “technology guru” worth his salt knows that the tech is just a tool and that our educational problems are far too complex to ever be solved just by throwing more technology at them. If you have watched my speech, read my blog or other works, or have taken a class with me, you would know that I am on the same page as many of you posting here.
As several of you point out, we have been hearing for decades how this innovation or that innovation was going to radically reshape education as we know it only to fall far short of lofty promises. I am anti-hype, but this time, I honestly believe things are different. So many forces are converging at once (many of them have to do with technological advancements and many do not), that education is going to look radically different in the very near future, especially for adult learners. We ignore this coming “tidal wave” at our own peril.
@SouthGABoy @Ron @Lee and others: As I wrote in any earlier blog about online learning for the Southern Education Desk
The jury is not out on the efficacy and importance of either medium [Online vs. F2F] to the future of educational reform: both can be equally effective; both can be equally dreadful; both will become a part of almost every educational institution’s identity. There is no one ideal way to teach or to learn. There are preferred ways in given situations and with certain subjects catered to particular audiences, but by and large, no one delivery platform can lay claim to the superior approach. The sooner we come to terms with this, the quicker we can get on with charting a path to real, sensible, productive reform.
@Private Citizen: You are obviously a very passionate person, and I sincerely applaud that. We need more passionate people concerned about education. You and I are actually in agreement about the FOSS issue. In fact, I wrote a book chapter about the history of FOSS and why it should be used in education. You can Google it if you are interested. It is called “What’s all the FOSS? How Freedom and Openness Are Changing the Face of Our Educational Landscape.” I also talk about this in the speech Maureen referenced. I have no doubt that you may actually know more about this particular subject than I, but you might find it an interesting read.
Regarding my syllabi from 2010, the department elected to include specific minimum standards across all courses in the program of study for a variety of reasons I cannot get into here as well as to ensure compliance with governing and accrediting bodies. It gets complicated. For the record, I always tell my students on the first day of class that I do not care what tech they use, how they access the class, or what software they use to complete assignments as long as they do not fall behind, can access all presented materials, and I can get to their work for grading.
Regarding my schooling, at some level education always has been and always will be a self-directed enterprise. Ergo, any school can be a “drinking” school and any school can be rigorous. It all depends on the student in question
I have seen Brave Combo many times. I miss Denton….
@Tech Prof: You and I are on the same page when it comes to labeling digital natives/immigrants and learning styles as educational “voodoo.” I preach this to my students all the time. It never ceases to amaze me how concepts with so little research, theoretical grounding, and data become part of the established lexicon and are used to drive policy.
@indigo @BT @ V for Vendetta: You make good points.
@jarvis: I was one of those “geeks!”
@Georgia and education not compatible: Thank you! It is always great to hear from a past student! Drop me an email and let me know how you are doing. As I love working with my students, I think it important to note that the student on the receiving end of that quote was LAZY
@Cris: Thank you!
Again, thanks for Maureen for the wonderful write-up and thanks to all of you for the comments. I wouldn’t be a good professor if I did not plug my programs so if you are looking to start your college education, check out eCore. If you are looking for online graduate programs in instructional technology, check out at UWG! Cheers, Jason
Georgia
December 8th, 2012
12:28 pm
The issue is about teaching itself. You can’t teach how to teach. Some teach. Some can’t. Some have confused the dunce cap with the tin foil hat. Some think that castor oil qualifies as a vegetable like catsup does for the school lunch program. Some teachers don’t qualify to be school cafeteria cooks. Imagine the average math teacher preparing shepherds pie! No laptops for students taught by lap dancers and lap dogs.
Lee
December 8th, 2012
12:54 pm
Private Citizen
December 8th, 2012
10:21 am
In my office, if the network goes down, 95% of the work comes to a halt. Can’t even make a phone call.
That’s because “you” don’t know what you’re doing in how to apply software.
————————————-
“I” don’t have to. That’s what we have an entire IT department for.
The point is that tech types push for every gizmo that comes down the pike. When it works well, it can be useful. When it decides to take a dump, it can cripple an organization.
Giving netbooks to middle schoolers is a recipe for disaster, IMHO.
Private Citizen
December 8th, 2012
2:11 pm
Lee, Good computing is streamlined and solid. There’s not much to it, really. I regret your IT / tech people are trendy and have lots of gizmos and passwords hanging off their belt. They obviously do not understand system design. Someone else is probably tell them what to do. I find it difficult to be in the type environment you describe.
Point about netbooks, notebooks, tablets, etc. is that the clunky print books are obsolete. The legitimate question is as what age is the digital screen appropriate. It might be 6th grade, it might be 9th. it is the way of the future and would be interesting to inventory working models of how it is done well, including:
-age of student when digital media is used as primary “book” media.
-hardware used
-specific software used per subject. private / expensive software?, free / open source / foundation based?
Lee, this is a contemporary, important, and relevant issue from Georgia to Moscow to Paris to Dusseldorf to Mumbai and Prague. I know they’re ‘doing it out in the Dallas / Fort Worth metroplex. Some places will do it well and be the leaders in effective and cost efficient application. Private academies can and do provide students Apple brand products and the best for-fee software. This will not apply to broad application government schooling. There are places who deliver powerfully and cost efficiency. A decade ago the schools in Paris were giving students usb sticks at the start of the school year with software and materials on them.