Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology opens by contrasting the traditional policies and curriculums that prevent educational technology developments in K-12 schools with the ever widening educational opportunities available using the same technology outside of schools. The view of both the technology enthusiasts and the technology skeptics is reviewed followed by a historical account of major developments in schooling in American history. Based on the current mass schooling model of education, Collins and Halverson suggest two solutions that have the potential to revolutionize learning today.
• New curriculum designs would place children in classes based on goals, not age. These classes would be administered over several years, so that students gain a deep understanding of complex tasks and content within chosen interests. Established professions would be used as the basis for the new curriculum design, and would incorporate the use of course management systems and video games. The authors then introduce a four stage model of student learning in which students gradually progress from novices to mentors to leaders via a series of projects.
• Instead of standardized testing, performance based assessments would be implemented in the form of certifications: academic, generic, and technical skills, each having credentialing requirements. New technology would be used to assess student progress in the form of “computer adaptive testing systems [which] use a test taker’s prior answers to select which items would best measure what the student knows.” (115) Upon successful completion of credentialing assessments, “students would [then] create a portfolio of credentials for purposes of employment or college applications,” (116) using word processing and multimedia software used in many professions.
In closing, Collins and Halverson call to the audience and say that in order “to be successful [in this revolution], political and educational leaders will need to carefully consider the changes in our society and mobilize the government’s resources to address the problems we’ve raised and to achieve the great potential ahead of us.”(128) “This demands rethinking education not in isolation, but considering the interplay of society, education, and learning.” (129)
The complete review can be found here: http://bit.ly/lDzLRV
Reference:
Collins, A., & Halverson, R. (2009) Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and the School, Teachers College Press, New York
