The Evolving Educational Landscape - A Review and Reflection

 "Out with the old and in with the new." I think these two pictures represent the juxtaposition of the modern debates around education and technology. We're in the midst of a transformation; I would argue an evolution although it's hard to believe in the permanence of something man made.
As a teacher starting his career in the early '90s, I taught Deaf and Hard of Hearing children who needed technical equipment to hear. I needed to know how to troubleshoot and check hearing aids and FM systems on a daily basis. It was just a natural part of my job and taking care of my students.

Today, cochlear implants are the latest and greatest in sophisticated hearing equipment. The world of technology has exploded and the first chapter of "Digital Leadership" by Eric Sheninger is a "call to arms" of sorts.

I found myself cheering and jeering at different points through the chapter. I'm a data freak, so I appreciated whenever Sheninger cited actual studies with facts and figures. For example, "the amount of time Americans spend online increased dramatically over the first decade of the twenty-first century, from 2.7 hours per week in 2000 to almost 2.6 hours per day in 2010." That's impressive and telling. It's not something we educators can ignore.

At the same time, I can't help but ask, by Americans do you mean white middle class Americans? What about our historically underserved populations? What about immigrants and refugees? I'm hoping Sheninger would argue that this is why schools need to get up to speed to help ALL learners.

I was initially shocked to read that "the average U.S. household owns five devices connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi, wired, or cellular networks." I then counted my own family of five's and came up with ten, yes, ten devices. Wow.

My cheers:
1. "Some educational leaders have begun to recognize that the current structure and function of institutions of learning are not in tune with with the real world that is continuously advancing beyond the walls of schools."
2. "Many computer suppliers have instituted lease programs, which make their products even more attractive in these difficult economic times." Right on!
3. Didn't know document cameras could record both video and sound. Very cool!
4. Loved exploring Minecraft!

Jeers:
1. "It is time to transform schools into vibrant learning communities that are connected and allow access to numerous social media tools that can unleash the creativity of our learners. This will increase engagement and, ultimately achievement." I believe in the engagement piece if done correctly, but would love to see the data that justifies the achievement claim.
2. On page 7, Sheninger cites a Haystead and Marzano study (actually 85 studies of 50 schools) from 2009 that claims Interactive White Boards are key to high percentile gains in achievement. There are several parallel factors included (teacher experience, IWB use, and teacher confidence), so I would love to see what kind of schools these were as well as how Haystead and Marzano weighted each factor for Sheninger to make his claim.
3. Page 9, under 3-D Content, Sheninger doesn't share the size of the sample studied.
4. Who has time for Minecraft?! Geez!

Questions that pestering me:
1. Is Sheninger's book an indictment of CCSS, today's traditional school structure, or both?
2. We're teaching the teachers of tomorrow, so today's digital natives will be tomorrow's teachers. Will they adopt a different approach naturally? Is it up to teacher prep programs?