What one thing will most revolutionize education?

When we look back 10 years from now, what will have been the one thing that will have revolutionized education the most?

Charter schools?

High-definition interactive video chat?

The use of mobile phones as learning devices?

Something else?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

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Permalink Reply by Jarrod Robinson on September 18, 2008 at 1:47am

I think Mobile learning is certainly starting to change the way we students learn, no longer bound by the classroom walls and the end of day bell. If only there wasnt such problem with policies and what not then at my school then i would be able to harness their full capabilities....Either way, there are fantastic times ahead, cant wait

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Permalink Reply by Nancy Bosch on September 18, 2008 at 6:55am

I remember hearing a presentation (David Warlick??) and he said "don't be surprised when you throw open the school doors in September and no one shows up". I would guess more and more kids are going to look for alternatives to traditional high schools. What is that going to mean for colleges?

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Permalink Reply by Ian Grove-Stephensen on September 18, 2008 at 8:25am

If education does go through a revolution in the next ten years, the cause will be a change in attitude. Educators will finally embrace the notion that learning is an active process. They will abandon the cruel and futile practice of the last 160 years of trying to knock information into childrens' heads. Instead, they will discipline themselves to creating a context that is conducive to learning, and otherwise stay out of the way.

All of this technology that we love can help furnish that conducive environment, of course, but the main thing is that the educational establishment needs to get over itself a little bit.

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Permalink Reply by Cheryl Capozzoli on September 18, 2008 at 8:49am

The Internet - Web 2.0 is revolutionizing Education!! The fact that "everything" can be accessed and modified 24/7 these days is changing how we think in regards to our classrooms. The collaborative and productivity features of the web are creating some of the most powerful global learning and communication experiences for today's learners and educators. Do we really have classroom walls anymore? The traditional brick and mortar classrooms are getting facelifts and instructional practices are slowly catching up. These tools will no doubt continue to shape our society and the demands that it now places on K-20 educational institutions. Continued finacial support for Ed Tech. is critical for schools to meet the growing learning demands of our student body. This social network is a true example of a highly effective wall-less learning envrionment. If we keep spreading the word and modeling it's bound to catch on!

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Permalink Reply by Beth Still on September 20, 2008 at 9:28pm

Cheryl,
I agree 100%. I think that within 10 years students will have many options available to them. Virtual high schools will make it possible for students to "attend" class at any time of the day or night. While I do not see this replacing traditional classrooms, I think it will become a viable (and much more attractive option) for many students.

So I would have to say that the Internet will revolution schools more than anything else.

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Permalink Reply by Leslie Witten on September 18, 2008 at 10:25am

PEOPLE!

TEACHERS will close the textbook and walk away from the podium. They will collaborate with other educators; teach their students how to ask questions, seek information from many sources, question their synthesized conclusions and use their knowledge in their communities.

STUDENTS will grapple with real problems, connect with real people, and explore their real potential to participate in life.

ADMINISTRATORS will break down school walls to let the world in and facilitate collaboration amongst educators.

POLITICIANS will emphasize learning, cognition and meta-cognition, over test scores.

PEOPLE will believe in the transformative power of collaborative ideas and education will never be the same. For you and I, it has already begun!

Imagine...

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Permalink Reply by Ian Grove-Stephensen on September 18, 2008 at 11:23am

That's what I was trying to say.... but you said it so much more eloquently.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Walker on September 20, 2008 at 8:30pm

The concepts expressed in Wikinomics: sharing, peering, open source, acting globally. Since education is modeled on business and business is beginning to embrace Wikinomics, education will have to adapt to prepare the work force of the future.
Nancy, yes David Warlick has been talking about the walls coming down, see his keynote at the K12 Online Conference

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Permalink Reply by Stacy Kramer on May 12, 2010 at 3:29am

Learning on the go would surely be an important and relevant development in this century.The More I read The More I get inspired.

And the possibility of effectively combining Social Media and technology throws up so many options of making learning more engaging and effective.

I have posted this link on other forums- ( http://ipodclassroom.wikispaces.com/) find this quite interesting as an article which debates the use of mobile devices in classrooms.

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Permalink Reply by Chris on May 12, 2010 at 5:50am

The most notable change in 10 years will be the size of backpacks. Students won't be carrying 10 pounds of books anymore, but a Kindle-like reader that will store their entire set of textbooks.