I do believe MOOCs will adapt to the needs for gaining credit, but it will take time for acceptance more widely. The model that seem to be more feasible would be for MOOCs to become a subscription that traditional universities would buy into and treat as a hybrid. This would provide constancy for transferable courses, cost savings in removing the need for development, and ease of proctoring assessments. Of course the free enrollment would go out the window in exchange for credit.

I think MOOCs have a definite place in education, but they cannot be all to everyone. YouTube videos have provided a wide range of information to people and MOOCs can fill a like need as well. The current direction seems to be taking them away from their initial intent of open source education, but if they can be adapted to fill a greater need, more power to those investing in them.

I think you have to provide training for teachers that is prescriptive to their needs, just like students, but even more importantly. Some are self-motivated and just need the time and resources; some need peer-coaching plus time and resources; and others need to go home, if they do not intend to put in the time and effort it will take to teach students effectively in the future. There are amazing tools available to teachers that can make good teachers better and a few poor teachers worst, if they shift from handing out dated worksheets to releasing their students to explore technology in hopes it will keep them busy until the bell rings. Instructional Leaders have to play an active role in monitoring instruction, and even more importantly, understand what proper technology integration looks like where students are engaged and learning.

Educating the Current Generation

Rene, I understand where you are coming from and it seems like just yesterday. I was one of those that was ill prepared for college and when the requirement for a typed research paper emerged, I quickly found alternate means of accomplishing the task. In my mind, I never expected to have to do much typing or research once I entered the Army. Well that did not play out as expected and as I work on my third graduate degree, I still struggle. I almost missed the education train, had there not been a teacher that said it was never to late and worked with me to get me onboard. We do have the wisdom on our years that that our students do not. We have to find a way to motivate the next generation to embrace technology, look ahead critically and seize every opportunity the future may bring.

I saw some data on the phases teachers go through when entering the profession and what caught my eye was the amount of improvement that occurred after the third year. From year 4-20 it should very little, if any, improvement in teacher proficiency. Apparently it is "survival of the fittest" in action until then. It showed that those who were prepared were resilient enough to "lick their wounds" after year 1 and develop survival skills by year 3 and after that, they basically repeat what has gotten them to that point. I know we must all know some teachers that fall into that category, but the data showed that was more of a trend than an exception. The economy slowed some teachers from retiring (to avoid have to restock their tool kit), but it does seem to be picking up. I think with the social media now available that facilitates teachers helping each other to perfect their craft, this statistic has to be changing. We can only hope that it does as the needs of students preparing for 21st Century jobs and the required skills involved will demand it.

Good video. I do agree that education will need to go through a significant overhaul if we are going to meet the needs of the future. I think we have over-reacted in response to providing inadequate access to higher education to all in the past. Providing opportunity regardless of the color of your skin or how wealthy your parents are should be the goal. We are ill prepared financially to get everyone to the level it would take to prepare all students to succeed in higher education. Even if we made funds available, not everyone would have the desire to attend nor would there be a need for all students to seek a full four-year degree.

What we do in the classroom through instructional technology can help students, but a more strategic approach will be needed for our economy to thrive.

Great site! I have been out of the classroom (in the role of teacher) for a while, but still see many of the Web 2.0 applications that could have helped students understand how lessons were being taught was just as import as what was being taught. Establishing relevance for students is very important. Actually students are already immersed in the use of some Web 2.0 tools; we just need to show them how to use them in becoming successful productive citizens.

For example, I now incorporate Web 2.0 tools in carrying out my daily duties as an District Administrator. I am hosting a District level Committee Meeting tomorrow where I will need to report on peoples attitudes and opinions regarding the information being shared. I will use an online survey at the end of the presentation to capture the information and graphically present the information to my boss within minutes of its close.

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