In this time of connectivity, we will never be “on top of some mountain, all by yourself, with a #2 pencil, trying to figure out what to do.” Yet most schools still choose to educate as if this is the case. We must stop pretending that students do not have access to quality information for learning outside of school. Mr. Ito states that “we need to learn how to learn” in his TED talk and it is our responsibility to create the environment in schools that promotes this idea.
I love the idea of being a “nowist” and taking advantage of connecting and communicating with others to solve problems, however this is simply not possible in my district. We tend to think everything to death out of fear of failure and lack of knowledge. Any small incremental change is difficult and extremely slow. This many times stifles innovation and creates a negative culture of compliance. I regretfully do not work in an environment that promotes student or teacher choice, ownership and voice and have seen first hand the result of this as I work with teachers. Flexibility, commitment, mindset and a changing role of the teacher are all important when considering blended learning. I am hoping to initiate some of these ideas and practices in my district, however it will be a very slow process.