I’ve been pondering an article called “Future Ed: Remote learning, 3D screens” for a few days now.  While this article covers some interesting geeky stuff (such as ocular implants and 3-D screens), there are also some great nuggets of wisdom in there about the notion that what we teach needs to change – along with our technologies:

Barker pointed out that with more tech-savvy learning, the curriculum will have to change, too. He and his wife funded a five-year experiment in Chattanooga, Tenn., to create a 21st-century curriculum founded not just on learning the ABCs, but also the “EFGs”: Eco ed (“How do we interact with the planet?”), Futures ed (“How do I shape my future?”), and Global ed (“What is my relationship with other human beings?”).

Each student had to learn a 500-word vocabulary in six languages and, in sixth grade, choose one in which to be fluent, including cultural knowledge. Physical fitness focused on lifelong sports such as tennis and golf, not team activities. Grade levels were kindergarten “through competence” — that is, when students accomplished all of the program’s lofty goals, they graduated.

Personally, I get more excited about these approaches to changing education than others.  The “death to the university” concept is too much “baby and bathwater” to me, and the open education movement is sometimes too caught up in hopeless romanticism (or unhealthy bitterness) for my taste. I don’t think people in either one of these movements have really thought about what would happen if they got their way.

Anyways, the article covers a lot of ground in 4 pages, so give the whole thing a read with an open mind. Assessment, socialization, and realistic school reform (i.e. ideas for change that involve educators keeping their jobs) are all covered.

This entry was originally posted at my other blog, where I went on a rambling tangent against the thought that universities as we know them are going away. Instead of bludgeoning anyone with that again, I thought I would connect the quote above to some of the ideas we have been exploring at UTA recently:

• Eco ed – when most people think of ecology, they usually think of “green” efforts. That is a good place to start – considering how we can use technology to make our classes more environmentally friendly is always a good idea. But an additional way to think of ecology is how our classes interact with the greater subject environment that they are a  part of. How does your subject connect with the classes students had before? How will it prepare them for what classes are coming next semester? How do students apply what you are teaching to the house, apartment, neighborhood, or city that they live in? (Pete Smith will love that I am already bringing constructivism and connectivism in to this blog – or maybe he will comment on how I am making Dewey spin in his grave….)
• Futures ed – To me, this matches exactly with what Dr. Mark Taylor has been teaching us about Generation NeXt for a few years. Students need to know what is in it for them. In fact, I think you could take the entire last teaching by Dr. Taylor and insert it right here. “How do I shape my future?” could also be translated in to “What is in this for me?” Students that can answer this question about your class will find greater value in what you teach.
• Global ed – this is taking eco ed to the next step. What is going on in the world today that involves your subject matter? Chris Conway and Jose Tamez have been doing a great job with this in some of their Business Spanish courses by seeking out business experts from around the world. They interview these experts and then post the recordings of what transpires to teach students important global business concepts (the Ethablog by Henrique Oliveira is one great resource they bring in to their class). But even if you don’t teach a globally-focused subject, you can still find experts around the globe that are blogging and discussing your topic. Have your students visit those sites, maybe even have them leave some comments or interview some of the authors for class projects. The important idea is to get students to join the greater global conversation that surrounds your subject matter.

The one warning I have is that all of these ideas might be too much to fit in to every class if your department does not co-ordinate your courses. Take global ed for example – if students have to join a different site for a global conversation for every class they take every semester, it won’t take too long before they hit overload and just abandon them all. Maybe your department can come up with a way to hit the EFG’s from a department level – giving students a set of ideas and sites that they use over their entire degree program?

Note: This is modified version of mostly the same post that appeared on EduGeek Journal.