Education: Education in 21st Century

By: Carter, Jacob

Students born in the 21st century, having classes with teachers trained in the 20th century in a school that looks a lot like the schools of the 19th century. This disturbing picture is the great challenge that all of us Brazilian educators face today, whether at the head of a Ministry of Education, a school or a classroom.
One of the central concerns of this debate is the role that new technologies have, will have or should have in education. It is impossible to deny that they will increasingly influence the practice of teaching, just as they increasingly influence the practice of students. Denying the presence of technology in schools - as many laws do by prohibiting, a priori, the use of mobile phones in schools - is the way to escape it, not the necessary way to deal with this important issue.
When used indiscriminately, technology helps little and can even hinder, as shown in a recent study by the OECD[1] on the use of computers and other devices in learning. To place the computer as an alternative to the teacher is to doom the use of technology in education to failure, as it is the case for any instrument in favor of learning. Quantity, in this case, does not lead to quality; on the contrary, it can get in the way.
On the other hand, the same study and many others present in Brazilian and international literature show that, when used correctly, technology can be a great ally for the education professional. It allows the student and the teacher to explore worlds beyond what is accessible around them; it allows both to go beyond their individual knowledge repositories, by accessing the vast amount of information available on the Internet; it allows new forms of interaction and collaboration, unhindered by geographical barriers; allows publication and access to works anytime, anywhere.
Again, the big problem highlighted by the OECD study is that it all depends on the preparation and willingness of the teacher. Contrary to what many imagined when digital technologies began to "invade" education, the presence of these new instruments does not diminish the role of the teacher, but expands it considerably, creating new and complex responsibilities for this professional. The teacher of the 21st century must be a mediator of learning, skilled in the art of educating his students to be even more critical of the content they consume from different media, and know how to build real knowledge in the midst of an overwhelming volume of available information. It's a big challenge.
Moreover, everything has to be rethought; not only the role of technologies, but all the dimensions of school work - spaces, times, programs, practices, relationships, roles. The world has changed and the school must change with it, otherwise it will no longer be able to produce conscientious citizens capable of facing the challenges that they will most likely encounter in their adult life.
HAPPY READING!!

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0BF326528
• ISBN13: 9798352452677
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 346 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"