Postman’s – 5 things to know about technological change and e-learning

The Weblog of (a) David Jones

In doing a quick search for references to help out in the last post, I came across this page, which appears to be a transcript of a speech given by Neil Postman title “Five Things We Need to Know About Technological Change”. According to this post (that page has gone away, so a new link to a PDF transcript)it “was delivered by Postman in 1998 to a gathering of theologians and religious leaders in Denver, Colorado.”

Given my current and recent fascination with “Past Experience and e-learning, I particularly like these couple of quotes from Postman’s address.

Experiencing technological change as sleep-walkers

In the past, we experienced technological change in the manner of sleep-walkers. Our unspoken slogan has been “technology über alles,” and we have been willing to shape our lives to fit the requirements of technology, not the requirements of culture. This is a form of stupidity…

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SAMR as a Framework for Moving Towards Education 3.0

User Generated Education

Evolution, in its broadest sense, serves as a force to help humans move towards a better way of living given the current times or Zeitgeist.  It follows, then, that the education field should evolve as new opportunities and forces emerge and present themselves. But in general, this is not the case.  From the Time Magazine article, How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century

There’s a dark little joke exchanged by educators with a dissident streak: Rip Van Winkle awakens in the 21st century after a hundred-year snooze and is, of course, utterly bewildered by what he sees. Men and women dash about, talking to small metal devices pinned to their ears. Young people sit at home on sofas, moving miniature athletes around on electronic screens. Older folk defy death and disability with metronomes in their chests and with hips made of metal and plastic. Airports, hospitals…

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EVOLVING VIEWS CONCERNING THE ARTISTIC CAPABILITIES OF THE CHILD →

EVOLVING VIEWS CONCERNING THE ARTISTIC CAPABILITIES OF THE CHILD

The Other 21st Century Skills: Why Teach Them

How can we make this more than a phrase?

User Generated Education

Many have attempted to identify the skills important for a learner today in this era of the 21st century (I know it is an overused phrase).  I have an affinity towards the skills identified by Tony Wagner:

• Critical thinking and problem-solving
• Collaboration across networks and leading by influence
• Agility and adaptability
• Initiative and entrepreneurship
• Effective oral and written communication
• Accessing and analyzing information
• Curiosity and imagination   http://www.tonywagner.com/7-survival-skills

This presentation sparked my thinking about what other skills and attributes would serve the learners (of all ages) in this era of learning.  Some other ones that I believe important based on what I hear at conferences, read via blogs and other social networks include:

• Grit
• Resilience
• Hope and Optimism
• Vision
• Self-Regulation
• Empathy and Global Stewardship

Why Teach 21st Century Skills

According to a recent (2013) Gallup Poll, Americans Say U.S. Schools Should Teach “Soft” Skills

Americans’ views on what schools should be…

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