I recommend this article for one to read and I do have three points to comment on from my reading:
- British Educator Sir Ken Robinson mentions that education is at a tipping point as the way we educate kids has been unchanged since the start of the industrial revolution; that education is a production line. All kids do the same work and vice versa. I think we have passed it because it has been accepted for a number of years that we have to differentiate learning according to learning needs. Even as a school kid in the 1990's, I look at situations where lessons etc were modified for me or other students to reflect individual needs.
- It is suggested that the role of the teacher is under threat. As a Teacher Librarian, I am reminded of those that say that we ourselves are under threat. Not at all. The role of the teacher is ever changing and evolving to reflect the society that we live in. We guide students in their learning and teach them how to use the wealth of information around them.
- The article tries to suggest that printed books are on the way out thanks to iPad's and eBook readers. Yes, technology gives us greater scope for one to publish their works and to share it, and has opened up opportunities not previously available, but there is no mention of the continued interest in print resources. People still prefer their printed resources, and this can be for various reasons like reading, note-taking, interaction with text or simply the physical feel. Printed book sales have been rising Print is not dead. Technology just opens more options.
