Education today should teach students what the technology cannot do: CREATIVITY” (Diane Coyle, Economy of Enough)
Hi! here’s the BlendSpace I created and we saw in class.
I’m asking you to watch the videos. For each video take down a couple of IDEAS/REMARKS/CONSIDERATIONS you made while watching and to leave your personal comment, from your heart. You can keep into account:
- What you’ve learnt all these years at school & how. Strengths & weaknesses. Pros & cons;
- Where you’d like your educational system to head for /move towards;
- Is this way of learning relevant to you? Di you find it stimulating? Why?
Ecco la scuola di Valeria:
Thanks 🙂
Dear Ginevra, better late than never 😉 When you write “Sincerely, I have always been lazy, distracted… It’s very difficult to me to concentrate …” or “I love interactions, they keep me concentrate and my mind more active, I think that they are more stimulating.” I know took we’ll what you’re talking about and I recommend you do this questionnaire http://vark-learn.com/the-vark-questionnaire/ and if you come out as I imagine, read something like
http://www.uvu.edu/learningstrategies/styles/index.html
http://testprep.about.com/od/tipsfortesting/a/Kinesthetic_Learning.htm
By the way, your comment is great and I’m sure that as far as you are “emotionally involved” and don’t shut down, You’ll learn a lot and “create” fantastic things!
I literally didn’t expect school to change so much. Well, I know that the world we are living in keeps changing, as said in one of the videos, but when I realized HOW it changed and it is still changing I just could say “wow.”.
Now technologies are part of our lives, we can’t imagine a life without our mobile phones or tablets, we keep wearing headphones inside our ears, we keep texting, watching videos or do something else -with our cell phones. But before they didn’t exist. “The world keeps changing”, isn’t it?
As the professions that in the past didn’t exist, like youtuber, viner (yeas, it IS a profession) and many other which are now involved with technologies, also the education at school did.
When I was younger, at the age of 7, I went to school for the first time. I had my copybook, some pens, pencils and fear. I don’t remember all the things I did, neither what I learnt, but it doesn’t mean that I have forgotten everything. I remember when the english teacher draw on the blackboard a body and taught us the names of the parts, I remember, in year 2, when the maths teacher had to verify our informatics skills, when she wrote some little equations (also with brackets) and we had to solve them, in the quickest way. I won most of the times, just because I calculate the equation while she was writing. When I was younger, was brilliant in maths, and I still like it, even if I don’t understand everything. Many times, when it was sunny (and when the teacher wanted to), we had lessons outside, in the garden.
In year 4 I moved from the city where I grew up to the one where I was born. The teacher were less strict and I didn’t like it at all because when I went back to Bologna, to visit my ex-bestfriend Ludovica, she asked me to help her with her grammar exercises, but I couldn’t do that because I wasn’t able! I felt terribly disappointed.
In the three years of middle school, I learnt things in different ways. When we had the geography lesson and interrogation, we used to prepare a presentation (PowerPoint) and depict it; the spanish lesson unfolded in a classroom with a LIM (like the english lessons now) but they were boring, the teacher was too much strict, not original at all and without creativity; instead the english lessons were interesting and motivating.
I think that that’s what we need to learn better, regardless HOW the lessons are taken, we need to be interested and motivated.
Sincerely, I have always been lazy, distracted… It’s very difficult to me to concentrate for more than 40 minutes, therefore it’s hard to keep continuity in studying… unseemly… And it’s a pity because I know I can do better.
So, who can motivate people like me? A good teacher, who KNOWS involve us, who keeps interesting a lesson, maybe with something interactive… I think that interactive videos and lessons are perfect to concentrate, learn and do what was assigned, because it “obligates” you to follow the lessons, it’s something continuous, it works like “I see” “I remember” “I interact” “I learn”. I love interactions, they keep me concentrate and my mind more active, I think that they are more stimulating.
Also videos on youtube are, but the graphics, the idea, the way that a youtuber decide to show it (written on a white board, acted, drawed), can change everything. For example the videos with quotes, diagrams, plans, real expectation about the future and comparisons between “Yesterday” and “Today” are more involving: you receive a lot of information, but as you receive them, you feel interested, you want to know more or see it again, so that you can remember it better.
Anyways, I don’t learn things only at school, it would make me limited. I learn from my dad, who see documentaries and videos about scientific things (that I can’t always understand… For example he told me about “Quantum PCs”, wich are incredibly faster, also more that the fastest commercially computer, and how a scientist found a way to create home-made PURE diamonds, it only takes Silicon, Gas Methane, a big boiling oven and few days, “and your diamond is done”). I learn about differences in the world, and I learn from people who had the occasions to “taste” the lifestyles in our planet, my boyfriend and his mother tell me about their motherland (which is Colombia), his step-father who knows a lot of things and everytime we dine he has something new to teach me, and I have something new to learn, also my mother tells me about French…
We have a lot of ways to learn something, and when we don’t want it to, we just need to be motivated, and everything else will come by itself 🙂
A teacher I had in middle school told me once “When I was younger I didn’t know english, all I had with me is my coulture, my knowledge, and it was the only thing I could count on”. Even if I don’t always do my best, I won’t ever stop learning. Coulture is what we have, what we need to carry on and the thing that will always go with us.
I think that in all of these years of school I learnt a lot of theorical things but I’d like to learn the practical method because I think that practical method is more usefull than theorical because in the world of today the most of works need practise thing.
Still you haven’t learnt do be less lazy and commit without being urged to 😉
I go to school since I was 6 years old and I remember that I love the primary school because we watched many movies for learn a new argument in a lot of subject. For exemple with the teacher of Sciences did some experiments and I was happy and excited.
When I went to secondary school the method to learn the things changed. We did a lot of posters alone or in a group. This was funny because I could talk with my classmates and help them. When the posters was finished we exposed our argument in front of whole class. In maths,technology and in other subject we used computers for made power point or research.
Now looking at the education of my brother I see that almost all teachers use more technology to improve the attenction of students and enjoy them to study. I think that use technology is beautiful. If I tell the truth many things I do not know them without technology but it’s sad see all the little children/students use always technology and not talking to each other.
The first video takes in to consideration the importance of technology and social media in the classroom. The word keeps changing and students try to find solutions to the problems of every situations. Teachers must be innovators, creators and motivators. The classroom must be dynamic as the world. I think that the technology is very important to connect people from all over the world. We must educate the heart of every one to form a better world based on trust, friendships and social communication . The role of teachers is changing as the world around us. In fact our life is dynamic and teachers must follow this continuos changing of life by abdobting a series of means of communication towards their kids. The teachers must be :
– A guide ;
– care taker ;
– leader that shows the ways of learning ;
– authoritar ;
– lover ;
– friend and believer.
The teacher must help children to rich opportunities, goals and wiroment.
Even the ICT is very important to improve learning in the classrooms. It offers knowledge, good education in a better society. It is a mean to learn easier by simulation, videos and animation.
Teachers must improve imagination and motivation in the children through technology. Teachers should be mentors, sensitive and tollerant.
Today the use of technology has a visual and interactive intent. In fact videos improve in the classroom and there is revolution smartphone, tablets and digital books that substitate even more the papers and pencils. Through animations children can learn exactly the functions of things and activities.
Teachers must be guide of the process of learning videos and animations.
In fact social interaction among teachers and students is so important for education.
Teachers must …. and students? and your personal experience? I wish you’d written about that instead of a list of impersonal sentences.
First let me say that I really liked all the videos, especially the video “ A pep talk ”; THE KID PRESIDENT ,protagonist of the video, was so funny and, as he has often repeated in the video, he was so AWESOME;) I really like this video because the protagonist said beautiful phrases like…“CREATE SOMETHING THAT WILL MAKE THE WORLD AWESOME” or “DON’T STOP BELIEVING”, and that made me smile all the time of the video. I think a video like this should be shown to all the people all around the world, because the things who says the child are really important to learn to believe a little bit more in ourselves and in a better world.
After seeing the video with great attention and after taking notes, I became aware of how the school’s world has changed during the years.
During the years the technology has become part of the educational world in a very widespread and personally I can say that since primary school we were taught to use computers ( I had technology class twice a week, with my Italian teacher ), but by the time, for example at secondary school, I noticed that the hours of technology were stolen with other school subjects and I tought it was a wrong thing to act in this manner, because as is shown in the video:” 21st CENTURY”, technology now turn around us and today we all need to learn well, how to use new technologies, so I think that the teachers should never stop to teach us to use them, especially because it will be more useful for our future.
I don’t remember exactly everything I’ve learned in primary and middle school, but I can say, I have had many different types of teaching so different types of teachers ( like is happened to G.Segato ), and this thing didn’t help me because if a person often change many teachers and also the teaching methods change, it will be difficult to learn the subject in a good way ( In fact, I still feel it now)…In fifth years of primary school our teachers never used the PBL ( Project Based Learning ), except the English teacher but we had some good teachers that have taught us the respect for the others, to cooperate and communicate even without using the PBL. Things have changed when I went to middle school…I have changed many teachers ( an average of 19 teachers in three years of middle school ) and I didn’t do technology classes because in the class where we were there was a chalk board and a interactive board. After the primary school, the PBL method no longer existed in middle school ( I recover the method, after 4 years of school, with her Prof. Cimetta ). After, when I went to secondary school, (last year) my world has changed…New teachers, a new very big school, new classmates ( I didn’t know no one )…EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED; with some teachers I found myself badly and among them also, the English teacher; since primary school I always had a passion for English, but with this teacher I found myself so badly that I couldn’t study it and I had great difficultly, I have always been good in English but it wasn’t easy.
I would like that our educational system move towards in a better way, but many things have to change…teaching methods, the way, perhaps, in which are chosen teachers because from my point of view, teachers should be chosen if they have the passion to teach, not to other, because teaching is an art form, teachers have a really important role as mentors as well as people; are there to engage students in a standard curriculum of any sort. They have a repertory of skills and possibilities and knowledge. It’s both personally essential that the teachers have forms of education which are humane and balanced, liberal, sensitive and tolerant, it’s a global imperative at the same time ( as Sir Ken Robinson said in his interviewed ), and I completely agree with him!!!
IT’S TIME TO CHANGE!!!! THE FUTURE IS TODAY!!!!!
When you write “we had some good teachers that have taught us the respect for the others, to cooperate and communicate even without using the PBL” you’re right. Those VALUES are the most important things and are often taught by example. Remember Giulia that any method is good as far as it is CONSISTENT (coerente) and the teacher believes in it. Sometimes it’s not that easy to be tolerant, understanding, balanced, liberal and sensitive but … I do my best and I’m very pleased you have written this comment that shows effort and commitment 🙂
Thank you very much Prof. !!!!!!!!…..for all:)
I agree with Luana, the school is changed compare with years ago. I’ve been going to school since I was three years old and during these years I ‘ve learnt a lot of arguments but in different ways.
I remember when I attended the primary school, the teachers made us the posters with colourful writings and draws to simplify the education. Then I went to secondary school and the education was different. I started to use the technology but not very often and I did several inter – disciplinary works with my classmates. Now I’m attending the high school and it’s also different than the secondary school. We use more the technological instruments like the interactive board or the computers and at home too, sometimes we use technology to do the homeworks.
Today, in 2015, the students start use technology in the primary school. The 94% of the students uses technology to do homework and not only at home. In many schools of several countries, each student has a computer or a tablet and they don’t use books.
I don’t know if using technology at school is a right or wrong thing, but if education is about creativity communication, productivity, initiative, collaboration and independence, in my opinion, education doesn’t learn this. I also agree with Serena: using technology is cheaper than buying books every year and it motivate a bit more the students to pay attention at the lessons but I think it doesn’t allow you to develop completely the principal schools competences like communication and independence. But using technology at school is in part right because the world outside is different than 30 years ago and if you don’t know how to use a computer you won’t find a job.
Diane Coyle says “Education today should teach students what the technology cannot do: creativity”. I completely agree, when I did posters or inter – disciplinary works I felt happy because I could show all my creativity and all my abilities. How the children in 2015 can show their creativity if they have a tablet in their hands?
Technology is a good invention but we must not become too independent.
One of the videos said that school is boring. You sit in class, you memorise as much as you can and at the end you try to pass the tests. It’s true, it is very boring stay at school for 5 hours sitting in a chair and only listen the teacher. Luckily during this years I’ve learnt in different methods. Seeing films, doing experiments or doing school’s journeys are ways to learn much better and to make more interesting the arguments. Another useful methods is to work in group because you can communicate with your classmates and you can help them to improve and vice versa. These methods involve the students to pay attention more than during a normal lesson and in this manner you can develop two of the school competences: collaboration and creativity.
I’m very pleased you noticed the quotation by D.Coyle as I believe it’s the key to a deep understanding of what education should be like. Einstein too would have agreed with us as he wrote: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand” he also said “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” I love it!!
From life I’ve learnt that we never stop learning.
Knowledge is a long process that change in time and evolves,in fact we start learning simple but necessary things at a primary school,then,we transform these things in something more elaborate at a secondary school,at high school and at the end(if we want)we finish this long path at university.
With your knowledge you can also realise your dreams,you only have to believe in yourself and work hard. At the primary school life is “easy”,less is when you are at a secondary school and life in high school is very hard. But if we don’t have obstacles in life,we won’t never grow up…
And also the satisfaction is more higher if had worked a lot,with constancy,passion and commitment.
Trying to cooperate with our classmates and teachers is also a good thing for our social relations.
I think also tecnology give students and teachers the opportunity to understand better the life that it is creating day by day,year after year…
And it also makes lessons more interactive,dynamic and interesting.
I think in the future will be also in Italy computers,blackboards lim and tablets everywhere in our schools.
Life change and also people for better or for worse are forced to change and adapt to them.
When I was little I used computers at school and still now I use it(also when I’m home,of corse)but my parents and grandparents,they didn’t use them when they were child.
After seeing the videos I understand better all these things and I absolutely agree with Beatrice,with the phrase which says”Making our classroom as dynamic as the world around us”…
I think that if we only are stimulated enough we can make incredible things for us and for the others.Teachers are like captains an we are like little boats in the offshore,so their rule in our life is to indicate a direction to arrive at the final destination.
I love your conclusion and want to quote from a beautiful movie “Dead Poets’ society”:Oh, Captain my captain” No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.” As a teacher I can open the door but YOU MUST ENTER BY YOURSELF 😉
These are different videos, but the thing that they have in common is the importance of the education. Some of them talk about the technology, other about what a “real” teacher has to do. A teacher has to stimulate and motivate his students; there must to be a social interaction between teachers and students to have a better education.
I think the technology is important for the school but not fondamental. I think it’s important because you’re more fast with research and for exemple a lesson with LIM, at least for me, is more interesting and engaging compared to a normal explanation. It isn’t fondamental, because if the students “survived” in the past without computer, I think even we can do it. And I think, how LUNA, that sould use the money, not to buy new computer, LIMs or I-Pads, but to improve in other aspects, the schools.
Until now, at school, I learnt a lot of things. From primary school there are a lot of various subjects that you can like or dislike. But even if a subject doesn’t like you, it would be very important for your life.
Even if at the most of students don’t like going to school, they don’t forget that in the school we learnt the valour of friendship, and how to cooperate with our classmates. Also it (the school) help us to become indipendet and selfmade.
Now with a good education you can have different possibility for your future. My way of education is above all about the foreign languages. I want to learn at the best the languages I’m studing to travel, find a good job and know new different places and lifestyles in my future. In fact I think that with the school I chose, I can relize my plans.
Students could do without technology in the past because they were not used to nor surrounded by it. Now it’s harder because the “digital natives” are different from us digital immigrants. I’m sure you’ll become an independent student and fulfill your dreams!
The first time I heard about innovation about technology I was in the middle school. I was talking with some friends about it and suddenly a friend of mine said :”Perhaps in the italian schools there will be Ipads to study and learning” . All my friends were excited but not me. I prefer using a paper or a book with a pencil or a pen. I have to say that I’m not very good using the technology but I think that for learning subjects of each type, books and pens are better than computers or Ipads. Wait, I’m not saying that I don’t like using computers .
Thinking about my way of learning since I was in the middle school I think that it doesn’t change a lot. Obviously with the birth of computers I started to use them more often then before for researches or for an explanation of an argument that I didn’t understand. I have to say that it’s very comfortable if I couldn’t ask to my teacher. In the middle school I used computers just for some lessons of geometry. They were very fews. And they weren’t very interesting for me and my class. If I think that now I have an my personal computer with a wonderful organization for all my files and documents, I’m proud of my self and just a bit scared of what I made. In my computer I’ve got a folder, less or more, for each subject. Now, in the secondary school, for the english lessons and homework me and my class use a lot the computer. I have to thank my teacher who is absolutely awesome. She often gives us some big arguments of discussing to work on. I really like it just because it’s a wonderful way to discuss in my favorite language !! We can tell our opinion on the argument and maybe discuss it with the classmates. Often the arguments are very beautiful because they talk about topicality and this is a way to help us to know what there is and what happened in our big world.
In the first video there is a phrase that let me think a lot :”In the past 5 years the digital universe has grown by 1000%” . Wow , amazing. It’s true. Our world has developed a lot and I hope it will developed more in the future. The consequence of this development is that now we have a lot of works to do, than in the ’90, ’80 or ’70. The developments of our world changed the way of teaching at schools. Now a lot of teachers try to be as modern as the rest of the world, using the new technology. Using technology don’t mean that we are losing the foundation (writing, reading, watching, hearing/listening, talking, discussing …) of teaching or learning something. With the new technology you can learn or teach as the same as before just in a different way, maybe more funny and involving. In this way maybe could be more stimulating. I love my way of learning at school. Because not all the teachers are as modern as others ones; if they aren’t very good using technologies they use others ways to teach always in stimulating way. Obviously they have to have a lot of experience in their work …
I’m agree with Kid president : if life is a game aren’t we on the same team? We help each other, we comunicate, we discuss and tell our opinions about everything. Because in the past we fight for all this, to have the right of being free to say what we want .
Awesome comment Federica. Federica for president 🙂
Thank you prof !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ahah Fedeee I remember when, some years ago, there were guys who said “probably we are gonna use ipads at school instead of books” and I was “Oh please, no..I could never study with a tablet”…exactly like you 😀 and anyway I agree with our teacher….FEDERICA FOR PREEEEESIDENT (I loved what you’ve written…..totally agree!)
Ahahahahahahah Bik !!!!!!!!!!! You are too kind … thank you so much <3
In these ten years of school I learned a lot of things that if I had not been lucky to go to school I never learned. Since the first grade I studied history, from prehistoric times, to the Greek and Romans, until the Second World War. I also studied science subjects, like science and math. When I went to secondary school teachers made us to study again all the arguments of the subjects from the beginning and the same thing happened at high school. Although I realized that I don’t remember the arguments I had studied many times, perhaps because I hadn’t studied for the pleasure of learning but because I had to do it.
I have studied English since I was little and I always love it, perhaps because I had some good teachers. So I decided to go to high school to learn languages and also because I would to travel a lot.
I think the Italian school’s system isn’t organized and that often uses the money to technologies not necessary when the school (as a building) would need to be repaired and modernized.
I believe this way of learning is very effective and stimulating more us because approach us to the world of today. However I think that this way of learning is very challenging and that sometimes we students didn’t want to develop the activities in this way.
But I’m happy because is a good alternative to boring lesson that make some professors.
Luna, I appreciate your honesty. As you rightly said sometimes students are lazy as this new approach to learning requires commitment, critical thinking anssd is therefore somehow pretty tiresome. But, in the long run, it’s worth, I guarantee 🙂
At the age of 15 years old I’ve spent almost 10 years at school and this shouldn’t be so bad, infact I’ve studied many subjects and I’ve met many teachers with different methods of teaching, but I really can’t say that all the present teachers are better than the past ones. Personally I think that a good teacher is a person, as the 2nd video shows, that must educate, in the same way, hearth and mind. That means that he/she can’t be concentrated only to teach the subject without trying to know and understand each pupil and give a motivation to keep on learning. Infact “great teachers look into the eyes of their students and recognize who they are and how well they are responding”. During my school experience I had the chance and fortune to meet some of them, both at the elementary and high school and they helped and are helping me to become the girl that I am.
Today teachers must be innovators, mentors, motivators and illuminators for their students, because they have to prepare them for the world outside, that doesn’t mean only memorize something without really understand it, but develop a CRITICAL THINKING, COLLABORATION and COMMUNICATION, 3 things that are very important nowadays and that, unfortunately, aren’t tought in our schools.
To improve learning we should use more ICT (information and communication technology) in our classrooms, because this kind of education is not boring at all! If we already use technology to do our homeworks at home, how it could be using that tool at school? Surely awesome and all the student would be motivated in learning, and stop saying: “I hate going to school because it’s boring”! 🙂
Yes I also believe in a HUMANISTIC approach, as you have certainly realised by now. At the same time I believe that technology in itself is not enough to motivate students just because we must educate, in the same way, heart and mind. 🙂
These videos made me think a lot about the schools of the past, the schools of today and also about my future. I think between the schools of the past and between the schools of today there was a giant leap from every point of view.
For example, in the past they used only the books to make lessons, but now the teachers use more technologycal tools such as computers and lims to explain to the students. In fact, my mom always tells me that I was very lucky to be born in the period of technology, because in his time they didn’t have the privilege to grow and learn with technology. I noticed that there are some people who were born in the period where there wasn’t even the technology don’t know how to use some technology like a computer, and each time I always surprised when I see some children of 3 or 4 years plying with a mobile phone or tablet. I can say that the 21st century is the period of technology, and the future has in store more and more inventions. I think it’s a good way to work at school with the technology for several reasons, because the students are very attracted and concentrated by these technological devices, then exploit their interest in technology can be a way to get them to study and play without distraction.
In this ten years that I go to school, I have learned many important things for my training. Surely I learned to write, to read and many other things in different subjects. In these years of school I had some strengths and some weaknesses. I noticed that my points of interest are the languages.
My interest in languages lasted until eighth grade. At that time I decided to continue studying languages, and so I chose a language school to find a job that I like and includes my passion for languages in the future. Whenever we talk about the future, I always try to avoid the topic by saying that it is not yet time to think about it and that I’m only in secondary school.
I agree with what you said but keep in mind Priscilla that technology is just a MEANS not and END. We need deeper motivation to go ahead.
Okay prof!!! :D:-)
I agree with Priscilla’s mother that we are very lucky to born in the period of technology 🙂 but it is also a misfortune because a lot of person pass their time playing with their mobile phone or their tablet 🙁 for example,in the morning,when I take the bus to go to school there are always a lot of person who are playig with their mobile phone or are chatting with friends,that mean the new technology is already becoming part of our daily life.
I’ve been going to school since I was 3 years old. When I was little, it was so funny and easy, maybe also relaxing. But things have changed in a few years.
I grow up with teachers that told me how creative were my draws and my Christmas cards and then I jumped into a school with discipline, homework, judgements, rules, subjects. I think I’ve enjoyed the first years at the primary school, when education was still basic and untouchable, when I learned to read and write. Then my level of interest has started to go down. Not too down , but my interest was not the same as before. I mean, maybe it’s better saying it in this way. I was interested more in some subjects than in others. So, only in that period of my life I started to understand what I liked to do and vice versa, what were my preferences and what disgusted me. After some time I understood that I preferred some subjects instead of others not only for my tastes or my predispositions. There was something else that affect me in what I had like. It didn’t took long for me to realize that what I wanted to learn was steadily influenced by the way that it was taught. In my experience, what I liked at school was connected to how it was taught (in what way) and from who it was explained. So, I think that if you have a subject that at first you like, you can change your opinion once you realize that the person who teach that isn’t capable as you thought before. If you find a good teacher at your favourite subject you are very lucky because this means that you’re going to improve, but if you find someone you don’t like maybe you’re not going to hate the subject but I think that you can be disappointed. Therefore it’s almost impossible finding someone you like who teaches the way you truly want to be taught.
When I went to Secondary School and then to High School, I understood that this is possible. It’s possible to find a teacher who is capable but also has skills about a new way to teach. I mean, lately the world keeps changing so fast that nowadays teachers must be INNOVATORS, MENTORS, entrepreneurs and especially MOTIVATORS. We need a balanced education with compassion, acceptation and tolerance but we have also to make classroom as dynamic as the world around us. What am I talking about? Obviously technology. In the past five years the digital universe has grown by 1,000% and technology has become a significant and notable resource. But why am I talking about technology if before I write about education and school? Because I, and not only me, think that students can learn much better with ICT (Information Communication Technology) if they are used smartly. I believe that if students are motivating using ICT, maybe teach them arguments in a different way (with technology) can make concepts easier and unforgettable. I believe that if ICT are going to be used in a correct way, they will improve learning, motivation and certainly results. This can INSPIRE US to have all the information on our fingertips. Besides school can be more interesting and effective if teachers give us project for ask question, research, collaborate and give each other feedback. The consequence will be that we’re going to learn in-depth for each other and not only for the tests.
So, I want to finish the comment with this quote that make us reflect: “Don’t stop believing unless your dream is stupid.” And then you should get a better dream and keep going. This is your time, you were made to be awesome, to CREATE something that will make the world awesome.
Exactly so: IN-DEPTH LEARNING you’ve found the core answer. And yes, we’ll never stop believing in our drew. While reading your beautiful comment I realised what a great responsibility I have, as a teacher , to make you love my subject. I hope I won’t disappoint your expectations.
When I was at primary school I was little so I didn’t understand if the way of teaching was good or wrong because when you are so young you only think about the little things..
You do a few of homework, you paint, read, write, you do what teachers say or give you.. It’s the time when you’ve only just started to learn something and you don’t realize that that something is the basement of your education..
Now that I think about the past I can say that I had a quite well instruction because one of my teachers often gave us a lot of homework, compared to now is obviously nothing, but that time I did a lot.
That way of giving us a lot of homework prepared me a little bit for what was attending me the next years so it has been important now that I can consider it.
At the end it has been a positive thing.
Teachers usually have used a normal way of teaching so we’ve read on books, they’ve wrote on the blackboard, they’ve gave us some pictures to draw and they’ve done some interrogations.
We’ve studied all the subjects, as everyone I think, but I especially remember the lessons of computer.
That time I used them only at school and the teacher instructed us the simple things about the computer and showed how it was inside.
It was an interesting lesson but that time I didn’t know that technology and computers were going to be the base of my future way of learning and that technology was going to improve so fast every year, as now happen.
At the secondary school we continued to use computers during technology and we also used it to make researches.
We were still using the paper-register, we didn’t have the computer in class like now so with these changes I started to think about the big evolutions of our society, the technologies that are improving with an enormous quickness and it maybe scares a little bit.
We don’t even know what we’ll be able to do in some years. Big things.
But we have to know also how to avail these future technologies to improve the world, to improve the lives of every person.
Why are we so advanced when we don’t even help those who need or when we don’t even started to improve education?
It is one of the most important things. You need education to live your life, to know how to act. I hope that our educational system will make learn more comfortable, without sitting 5 hours in class maybe going out or doing something different.
I hope it’ll be motivating, involving the students, convincing them that school is what our future is based on.
Without it we won’t be able to face the reality that attends us.
So the system should amplify the ways of make students in the possibility of learning being happy, engaging imagination, inciting themselves to try to do every day better. It can happen only if we make this revolution of the education.
The way of learning is so important for me.
Teachers should be able to keep the students mindful or she/he shoul be able to be a role model, a person who incite you to have courage, not to stop after the first failed-exam.
I would love a teacher who understand her/his students, that tries to make concepts easier using different and new methods, a one who understand how they are responding.
As a video said education is a personal process that includes heart and mind responding to experiences so school should make hearts and minds responding in a good way on the experiences that we live there.
The system should make these experiences, lessons, based on more and more innovation, communication, collaboration, dynamism. It’s what the 21st century is based on. Times has changed a lot a we know it. We have to know better how to use our abilities and technology possibilities because we have a lot of them.
Lovely comment. I’m sure you’ll do great things in the future 😉 and I also hope we won’t have to sit 5 hours in the future … as you know I rarely sit at my desk … I can!
Thank you prof 🙂 As a shy person I’m not so confident so a lot of times I feel insecure but day by day I hope to amplify the faith in myself to be ready for the future. I don’t know what will it bring to me but I hope to find something that makes me proud and happy. As Beatrice said the education of all these years of school has taught her to be stronger and independent and I totally agree with her because I also compared that I have grown up, I’m more independent, I know a lot of things and I see the world changing with me. Now I can reflect about these changes. Technology is counted in these changes I’m talking about. I can understand that life is not easy through obstacles or mistakes but they make us learn and make us better persons; to make our future better we have to become involved on the progress of education.
Love Alessia’s conclusion ‘Teachers are like captains and we are like little boats in the offshore, so their rule in our life is to indicate a direction to arrive at the final destination.’ It’s so true. We need teachers like that and I think you are one of them, involving us a lot and caring about our education and our future. 🙂
The videos show us how technology has changed the world and the school but it can’t replace teachers because we need them to excite the students to want to learn
I think the key word of the first video is “evolution”: The world is changing rapidly: the digital universe, the way of teaching, the English language and jobs have changed dramatically and are still evolving. Personally I often use technology for my homework but in the classroom we rarely use it apart from at English lessons.
If you want to prepare children for the world outside you must educate not only their minds but also their hearts and teach them compassion, acceptance and tolerance. I think that if all the people have all these qualities the world would be better.
For a better future of the society, people must be more educated, but now so many young people are dropping out of high school. To keep them at school we must try to make school more motivating using more technology and customizing teaching. It is also important that the skills of the teacher are up to date unlike some of my teachers who hardly know how to use the “registro elettronico”.
All these years I’ve learnt a lot of facts but I have forgotten most of them, maybe because I’ve learnt them by heart or because I wasn’t interested. But I think that if I study using technology (watching videos, doing research…) it is more stimulating, so I memorize things more easily.
I would like our educational system to be more technologically orientated and I would like our teachers to motivates us more and to innovates in their way of teaching.
Thanks Liam but, as a teacher in order to innovate and motivate students like you I also need your HELP and cooperation 🙂 Then, if so … it’s magic!
I agree with thw fact that technology can improve learning but I think that, for example, if you don’t like to study science, even with the technology you don’t like it and then you’re not more stimulated. In my opinion, the best thing we could do in Italy is change our school system and make it look more like the other European countries systems, in which you can choose the subjects to study in addition to those basic like maths or italian. However, i really liked the video made by the black little kid because he said the same things I repeat myself when I feel lazy and I don’t want to do something (unfortunately it doesn’t happen often when it’s about school).
Why didn’t you also develop what required by the assignment? “1)What you’ve learnt all these years at school & how. Strengths & weaknesses. Pros & cons; 2) Where you’d like your educational system to head for /move towards; 3) Is this way of learning relevant to you? Di you find it stimulating? Why?” In this case even technology hasn’t motivated you nor sparked your interest. Sorry
Life isn’t esay , especially for the kinds of our generation.
I think it is true that today we have at our disposal means such as using the internet through cell phones , computers etc. but I also belive that there isn’t much difference between the school of today and that of my grandparents,
but I belive that this difference we see taking from us , from the intention that a person has to grow and learn.
The school no longer see it as I saw at the age of 7 years
the classic question that I aksed and that surely everyone will be placed at the age especially us guys the new generation is – : ” But why should I go to school , to the maths there is a calculator , the italian is my lenguage ! , for english and other languages there is Google transalte it !!
In reality the school over to give you a basis on which to build your future , It also taught me to accept myself and my mind , learn from the ideas of others and it is forming as a person too .
Now if someone were to ask me if I belive that the school then than today can guarantee a better future , I wuold respond by saying that there isn’t a right way of teaching and a misguided , but that everyone is responsible for their own destiny and therefore it depends on each of us.
“there is Google translate it” you mean translator? Unfortunatly what you want to say is not very clear it sounds as if translated by Google, or thought in Italian and then translated into English.
Your point is not very clearly stated.
In ten years of school I’ve learned a lot of things, but in different way.. I mean that from the elementary school until now, the high school, all has changed and I think it will be changed still. I’m a bit surprised because, like Luana said, I have noticed personally the change of the way to teaching and the way to educating children and students. All that video demonstrate it us, in fact like we can see in the first video,46% of teachers say their homework requires technology and 94% of students use technology to do homework.. When I was at elementary school we rarely used the computer during a lesson, I started to use it at secondary school, but anyway not very often, but it has been starting the “age of technology”…today a lot of adults say us “oh you were born with internet, you are experts of technology”… It’s true because in these years the technology has been advanced more and more. But technology isn’t all: “preparing students for the 21st century isn’t just about technology or skills for the global economy. 21st education is about creativity ,cultural awarness, problem solving, innovation, civic engagement, communication, productivity, collaboration, accountability, initiative, responsibility, leadership and making our classrooms as dynamic as the world around us”.. I think I have already learned some of these things, during my years at school, obviously going ahead, for example a bit of creativity, collaboration, productivity, communication, responsibility, problem solving. All thanks of education! Today in all schools are the competences: critical thinking, collaboration and communication.. I think they are important for our future to can find a job… a good job I mean. So “education is a personal process, it’s people who learn, it’s a human mind, a human that is responding to their own experiences; the real art of teaching is an art form because great teachers also look into their eyes of their students and recognise who they are and how well they are responding; teachers have a really important role as mentors as well as people who are there to engage students in a standard curriculum of any sort. Today technology is really required as at school as at work. There is ICT (Information and Communication Technology) that is a part of our curriculum, but it is not guarantee, is probably more important to get actual teachers into the idea of using ICT. It can be help us to make the future brighter. I think I’d like being educated yes… using technology but not always because sometimes is good take notes or reading a paper book instead of reading it on the tablet or on the e-book etc… I think I wouldn’t like being educated like in 1950s because like the video says, it was boring! The children sat in class, memorized as much as they could and tried to pass the test at the end, today school is more interesting and effective. I prefer the way to educate of today than the one in the past. I think this new way to learn is good because, for me, helps the students to be more involve and to improve their attention than in a normal lessons ,where wouldn’t be the same. But like is said in the video, the attention depends on what students have in their head. For example to teach how a human heart pumps blood, animation is better than an explain because the students see a real things that happens in our life. This way I think is more involve. But there is a problem: during the animation students can lose some passages, because of a distraction or other things. In fact, sometimes the explain or the static graphics are better than animation. I really like the video “a pep talk from Kid president” when the child say “boring is easy, everybody can be boring. But we are gooder than that; I’m on your team, be on my team; this is your time, this is my time, this is our time, we can make everyday better for each other, you were made to be awesome” So I think technology has been advanced more and more and in the future, like it’s already started, the children will be able to use the tablet, the I-pad… also today we see some children whit one of this object in their hands.. I’m a bit surprised of this. So, in my opinion, technology is involve and helps the students to improve themselves, I can say it in first person, because I’m leaving in this age.
… and thanks to this comment you’ve expressed very interesting and inspiring ideas that not just your teacher and schoolmates can read but also people from outside these walls, I hope. Young people like you are worth listening to!! And I totally share your point of view!!
It isn’t easy to comment these videos because the arguments that they speak (information and communication of technology) are difficult. Everybody thinks: technology is a good or a bad thing? I think that there aren’t answers. You can use it to do good things or bad things, especially at school.
I think use technology at school is a good thing, because pupils are more motivated and they have fun. Then if they have fun at school they arrive at school happy and they pay attention, listen the lesson and interact. Then you save money because you don’t buy books and the imagines in the I-pad are animated so you understand better. Furthermore with technology you save time: with interactive multimedia board is easier for teachers teach and for pupils listen and understand. But technology has negative aspects because when you stay a lot of time in front of the screen of the tablet you tire soon and long run you might have problems at the eyes. Then with technology you can be distracted because you can waste time in internet or YouTube and this is not a good thing. Another thing is that for pupils is more useful to use an exercise book and a pen for take notes because it is useful to study and remember the things you have written.
For all these reasons I think that we have to use technology in the suitable way at school and pupils should write and take notes without computer that it isn’t a good way to memorize what you write.
To avoid being DISTRACTED we should learn ways to FOCUS and CONCENTRATE. Thanks for reminding me 😉 As regards taking notes you may be right but may be it’s not so for the younger generation.
In your comment you haven’t answered to “What you’ve learnt all these years at school & how. Strengths & weaknesses. Pros & cons;
Where you’d like your educational system to head for /move towards” but just focused on the use of technology.
WE NEED TO MAKE A CHANGE. If we want a different world, we’ll have to do something to change it. We actually need this improvement! The school has to prepare the guys to the world outside, a place not so easy to live in. School can teach several things. For example, I’ve been going to school since I was 3 years old, and during all this long time, I’ve learnt to be as independent as possible. I’ve grown so much, because the education of all these years has taught me a lot of things, things actually important… and I’m not talking about why 2+ 2= 4 or how the Earth was 10.000 years ago…no…I’m talking about that now I’m a stronger person, with values, a person who will be able to face the world when she will be totally independent. I guess these things are what the education I‘ve received has given me.
Therefore one of the strengths of this education is surely this, but there are also others. For example, having the possibility to make school journeys ( since I was at primary school) is a good opportunity to learn a lot of things in an unusual way. Unfortunately, there are also weaknesses of this type of education. For example, the method of some teachers is totally wrong. I mean, the students can’t keep sitting on their chairs for 5 hours everyday, just listening to the teacher without trying to understand something concreted. The students need to prove what they’re learning…they can’t memorize everything just for a test and then forget all. It would be useless. Therefore going to laboratories, using technology to do more about what we’re studying, staying in groups to discuss about a specific topic, are different ways to let us be more participating during classes. STUDENTS NEED TO BE DYNAMIC! ALWAYS! For all these reasons I totally agree with the first video What is 21st century education?, especially when it says that today teachers must be mentors, motivators, illuminators because preparing students for the 21st century isn’t just about technology or skills for the global economy, but this education is about innovation, communication, creativity, responsibility, collaboration and “MAKING CLASSROOM AS DYNAMIC AS THE WORLD AROUND US”. Unfortunately, not every teacher is a motivator or a mentor, but only a person who “tries” to teach something to someone, no matter who this someone is. Another weakness, in fact, is that teachers don’t do a personalized program for every class, but they just follow the usual program, the same for every class, and it’s not proper because we are not identical so we need to be followed differently.
I’d like to have an education system that also “educates the heart because to navigate the world outside with compassion and acceptance and tolerance” we need to learn by our teachers what these feelings are. The school I’d like should also be “more relevant and motivating for students”.
The students have to be motivated to learn better. As I said before, they also need to interact to create discussions…this could make them more active.
Personally I ‘d prefer this method of education for every single subject, not just for 3 or 4.
Why would I have it for every subject? Because it’s actually stimulating! Really. I mean, with this method the classes would be less boring and consequently students would be more interested and dynamic! They could learn more! I’m sure.
Outstanding comment, MUSIC TO MY EARS!! You have written in a clear and concise comment the MANIFESTO of my ideal school and I’m so proud of being your teacher and having given you the possibility to share your ideas, thus being your mentor and motivator as much as you’ve been mine. THANKS
What an awesome comment Bik !!!!! I TOTALLY agree with you, especially in the part when you say that a lot of teacher just follow the program of their school-books, without doing some different activities …
WRITING
In the videos I could see some differences and creative works (Like the Norwegian video and others) but all said the same thing: is important that the teacher involve her/his students.
The use of the technologies at school is important, because i think it facilitates the students in the real world, when they’ll found a new job, because most of the jobs use the new technologies.
I would like, really to make a proof: the teachers teach in front of a computer, and we, at home, use Skype or Video chats, or some other technologies to learn. That would be a very interesting experiment.
The question is: The technologies could help us to learn (or teach)? And if , in the future, the students will have tablets instead of books?
At last, I really like the speech by the sir Robinson, my favorite line is: “Education is a personal process, it’s people who learn, it’s a human mind, a human heart, that is responding to their own experience”, because it makes me think about the real value of the school.
It’s very difficult to write all my experience in those years of school: I had a lot of different types of teachers, so a different types of way of teaching.
I remember when I was at primary school that I have two teachers: one was very straight, the other (until the fourth year of school) enjoyed arts and creative writings, but she wasn’t very strict. When Christmas was coming we spent hours to decorate the classroom, and help the teacher and the other classmates. I think this helped us to know each other: the weakness and the strengths of our “team”. The fifth year of the primary school we had three teachers: the strict one, another strict teacher (unfortunately), and a young one, who taught geography and history. I loved this last because she involved the pupils in laboratory and creative things about history. I remember we had to write a script about the Ancient Greek world, and we had to make some drawings about some mythological characters like gods and heroes: all the class was involved. One day she and the (surprise, surprise) strict teacher make a laboratory where we had to work with the computers: we had to write a menu inspiring to the Ancient Rome “cooking”. (Maybe, my love for Ancient History and for Mythology was influenced by these.)
In the Middle School we had a good Italian teacher: she made a lot of laboratories, and interdisciplinary works with the Power Point, here we learned to organize something with the other classmates.
The other teachers, were very pleased to make laboratory, about their subject, and they made us to see videos (for example, documentary) .
I think, after all, the strict teacher was in the right way and she taught us many things.
Obviously, in the Middle School we had like..ten teachers, so here is a “balance sheet”.
Since the first year of high school I have noticed we do less works for groups, and we rarely work interdisciplinary. I think this is because we have to be independent, when we’ll leave school we have to work by ourselves.
I have never thought about the strengths and the weakness of these types of teaching and learning.
But I think in these year I would like to do some works and laboratories, especially in interdisciplinary way, because I have noticed is the best way to learn (this is my opinion). Making connections, I think is the easy way to assimilate information about the world and the history. The weakness is the troubles with the time, organization, some members of the groups who don’t work ecc…
As i said before i would like a school system like, if I’m not doing mistakes, like in England, where you do more interactive things, even if the students aren’t in groups.
That’s all. I haven’t think much about the school system, so I hope tomorrow we are going to discuss 🙂
P.S.:I know my script is long
i’m sorry to hear that in high school you do less group & interdisciplinary works. As you said, cooperating and peer learning is the best way to learn! You also highlighted the difficulties of group work but there are strategies to counterbalance them, the teacher knows them 😉
Of course I don’t remember all the things I learnt in these 10 years of school and I think it’s impossible to everyone to do it. I studied different subjects and topics and some of them even more times like Romans and Greeks; but every time I restudied them I couldn’t remember nothing from the former studying, because I personally really start studying in the middle school on the third year in fact if I remember something from secondary school it is just what I learnt on the last year and the fundamental things of Italian, English, Spanish and maths that one time you do than you will always remember and that you need to go in a high school. But talking about history, sciences, music or art I can say it is like I’ve never done it, and it is not because I didn’t study but just because we use to study only for the test, not for our personal knowledge because we are not interested on the things our books offer to us, and so after have been done the test we just forget what we have just studied. But I think that even if we don’t remember all what we learnt, just the fact to have studied is a big exercise for our mind.
There are also some methods that can help to make boring subjects more interesting like the use of technology, for example when I was at the middle school we seldom use the computers because the teachers did not want to “waste” their time with those obsolete gadgets.
Fortunately we was one of the few classes on the school that had a LIM the multimedia board. It was very useful and practice, and surely more involving.
Even if I don’t like studying I know it is necessary to have a respectable life today, so I’d like to keep going studying languages also at university and during my studies I would like to have experience abroad, like live for 6 months or an year in another city to improve my English and also to being sure of myself and start being more independent.
Studying just for the test is such a waste of time! THERE’S A GREAT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REMEMBERING AND LEARNING!
TELL ME AND I FORGET
TEACH ME AND I REMEMBER
INVOLVE ME AND I LEARN
Until now I have learned a lot of things from letters to how write a essay ;from numbers to resolve the most difficult equations ;from say in english:”Hi,I’m Lisa” to be able to hold a conversation in english.But I haven’t learned only this because I also know that we mustn’t be afraid to express our opinion,I’m as the others students and that it is always someone who is always ready to help you in your difficult moment.
In this years,many times,I was bored at the lesson,I didn’t want to study at home and at school but I’m learning that if you listen carefully the lesson,you will like it because you will feel interested and amazed,but it depends also the teacher because if she/he doesn’t teach very well(when she speak many student don’t understand,she doesn’t let us participate or sometimes doesn’t ask us some questions about the topic)we’ll be bored and we’ll make our business.I think that our teachers teach very well and I’m very happy to have them as our teachers but some teacher should put a little love because if no we don’t like study the subject.When a teacher teach we can feel the motions that feel the teacher so if a teachers that hasn’t a lot of volition,we don’t study so good.
I think that use the new tecnology is a good thing but sometimes we should without it because it can cause dependence but after all the school for me is not so bad!
Passion and motivation are certainly the key to learning both for the teacher and the students.Sometimes it’s not that clear what you want to say, but I got it, eventually 😉
Thank you teacher for your advice
Seeing the videos above shows,I immediately noticed the mutation of the method of teaching in schools today compared to 50 years ago.Since I started going to school , until now , I have noticed PERSONALLY the mutation of the method and the way of school education. I remember that in first elementary I didn’t know what a computer is. Now even the children younger of the today’s generation know how to use an i-Pod or a Tablet… Ours teachers tought us how using a pencil, writing, in a pice of paper. In 2008 (I was in third elementary and I was 8) in our school arrived the first computers. We learned how to use PAINT. In 5 elementary We relied on computers to Internet searches.From first to third “media ” in our classroom was the multimedia board and we have learned to use that too. For some projects went in computer classroom and we have created our email address . From when I got to high school I was impressed by the use of the Internet at school , because there is the electronic register I’ve always seen paper.I personally like more work on the paper . Internet ( although for school use ) makes me dependent instead of me the new technology does not really like, although in some cases ( for example the phone ) is very useful and convenient. I like The educational system that we have today, Because it is based on collaboration . Once , however, was very individual and rigid. I like because in classroom everyone can express their opinion and , if done seriously , even teachers appreciate it. But I think if there is any pupil particularly rude or disinterested , there should be some caned :)This kind of teaching , however , has some relevance , especially if it can give you the FUTURE , or helps you realizing the dreams : what we want to become or be for society . In my opinion it would be nice if during school hours there is a time for sharing and reflections on the work done in that subject . This can help us to open our minds . I think this system can help us growing , improving and discovering the world around us 🙂
We definitely appreciate collaboration and free expression of ideas. The feedback you mention at the end is definitely necessary to become aware of your strengths and weaknesses and find a way to overcome your difficulties. As you said, to help you IMPROVE 😉