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April 6, 2007
Talkin' tech (take 3)This is the final portion of a three-part interview with David Warlick. You can check out the previous two portions here and here.
What does all this mean for school board members, from a local policy standpoint?
Warlick: That’s a difficult question, not having been in that position. But I have been a teacher, administrator, state DOE staff, and parent, and I believe that it is essential that all educators become part of the ongoing conversation about No Child Left Behind. It’s intention is pure, but its implementation is nothing more than an industrial-age solution to an information-age problem.
NCLB is right about the fact that we need to be accountable for what we are doing. Students, teachers, administrators, and families and communities are responsible. This is absolutely critical. But, I believe that we need to think about assessment in an entirely different way. Instead of bubbling in the answer sheet, more attention needs to be paid to what kids are actually doing in a classroom. With new technologies that are available, we can turn the classroom inside out and show the community what is going on in the classroom. Parents want to know what the child is learning, how the child is learning, and what they are doing with it. They want to be a part of their children’s learning, and we need to work toward open our classrooms up to this kind of community involvement.
Additionally, teachers and students need to become information artisans. Students already are producing PowerPoint presentations, videos, podcasts, blogs, picture albums – these can easily be shared with the community, which in turn allows the community to interact with how the kids are learning. This will hold ourselves and our kids responsible for how they are learning
School boards need to organize meetings or even institutes about education in the 21st century. There are a number of recent reports that could make good starting points for these community events. Some districts are already featuring technology fairs for their communities. I would expand these to be called 21st Century Learning Fairs. Education is a village endeavor. School boards need to lead not only the schools but the community.
Posted April 6, 2007 10:02 AM | Education Technology
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