I recently read this Wired article on hacking your education, and had a delicious thought about what that could mean to education. Fusing online learning, makerspace, and a truly individualized educational experience can be a true game-changer for some.
Can microschools effectively exist? Can virtual learning supplant the classroom? Or, do we live in a hybrid of school that doesn't quite exist yet, and how do we implement this new type of environment?
I envision schools where students are heterogeneously grouped by skill and interest level, fluidly moving to new topics, classes, seminars, etc. Standards are important, and one critical component would be ensuring -- using technology to its utmost -- that students meet these benchmark standards. Teachers have the flexibility of schedule to provide meaningful feedback with students.
In a educational landscape that has kept pace with industry, yet didn't flex when technology shifted into a higher gear, how do educators ensure that children learn in the best environment for them, that is sustainable on a large-scale?
This is where the next step lies...how to we scale up these ideas, partnering with community resources and families to make a globally connected, 21st century environment that meets the needs of small school, large group, and everything in between? Is that possible? Is it feasible? Can we utilize a flexible model to allow for fluidity of the present-day? I see this as a great way to partner rural, urban, and suburban schools, students, educators, families and communities together.
