The world of education has seen an increase in the adult student
population
to
meet the demands of a globalization. Hess (2006) expounds:
The media's "typical"
college student lives on a campus at a four-year institution.
But that describes no more than a
sixth of the total college population. In fact,
there are more college attendees over
the age of 30 than such "typical" students.
The most significant shift in higher
education is the massive growth in the
adult-student population.
Androgogy, the study of adult
learning or the act of learning adults is a field that has experienced an
increase due to the demands that this demographic has had on institutions of
higher learning. Many adults, like myself have chosen to direct their attention
to the design of instruction for online learning to help facilitate the need to
address adult learning and likewise enjoy the career of education while
experiencing the freedom lacking in a traditional brick and mortar educational
institution. This area is one that places a special emphasis on technological
prowess and competencies. Student-centered, brain-based research are woven with
the schools of education, psychology and technology to create a vibrant and
experiential experience that facilitates learning for not only present adult
learners but future generations.
“…We are in the midst of one of the most
dramatic technological revolutions in history that is changing everything from the
ways that we work, communicate, and spend our leisure time. The technological
revolution centers on computer, information, communication, and multimedia
technologies, is often interpreted as the beginnings of a knowledge or
information society, and therefore ascribes education a central role in every
aspect of life,” (Kellner, D., 2013). Students
are increasingly privy to various streams of technological infrastructures by
means of news, entertainment, social networking via the internet, and other
forms of media pieces such as handhelds. Gaming plays a large part in the way
students’ cognitive structures respond to information. Being constantly
provided with an array of options, the mind is carried away into a realm where
learning can be most trying. The transition from the vividness of the pulsating
colors, customizable avatars, and anticipatory game play experiences are ones
that the world of education have been keeping a watchful eye on. Entire theories have been based on the
interactivity and engagement features that these games hold. Using these tenets
to create carefully carve out learning E-learning experiences are the things
that professional such as Interactive designers and Instructional designers and
programmers work to realize. However, these decisions are not ones made as
insular, self-directed choices. Experimental discovery in a collaborative
environment is at the heart of the matter.
“To cultivate new literacies for democratizing education and
society in the new
millennium,
we need the Deweyean experimental method of trying out and testing ideas in how
computers and new information technology can aid reading, research, and
teaching traditional material. This involves trial and error, attempting to
discern what works and what does not in using new media to democratize and
enhance education. Thus, like Dewey, we need to perceive the interconnection of
science, technology, education, and democracy in the present conjuncture. To
have a enlivened democracy, we must have educated and informed citizens who
require training in science and technology, and acquisition of new multiple
literacies. Cultivating multiple literacies involves the scientific method of
trial and error, seeking collaborative solutions to problems, and working
together to democratically reconstruct education and society,”
(Kellner, D., 2013).
The preceding quote is
representative of how technology is evidenced in the present age. The method of
experimenting where trial and error and scientific processes are employed is
pivotal to the success of the technology’s efficacy. By not sticking to one
specific construct or model, true learning can be actualized by taking what has
been gleaned and utilizing it for varied purposes. There is an article written
by Jensen (2006), where children at play is discussed in detail. Children learn
while at play, where they are exploring what is around them and making inquiries
and coming to conclusions on their own. In like fashion are researchers and
indeed educators to systematically employ this child-like attitude with
reference to researching technology’s use in education. By doing so, there is a collaboration which is
fostered, one that is not specific to researchers, but to each professional in
the process. Implicit in this research is the right to uniformly provide
opportunities for researchers to come to conclusions democratically. By seeing
what works for the majority can inform policy and legislation that underlies
the appropriation of funds for technology in education. This is a specific way
of targeting an area of inquiry and providing data that substantiates its
implementation qualitatively and quantitatively.
Increased
globalization plays a huge role in the aforementioned matters of collaborative exploration and inquiry with
regards to technology. Countries compete daily for resources of time money, and
invest large sums of collateral in advertizing to their demographic. The
process of globalization is one that will urge countries to become more
competitive as can be evidenced in the White House Science Fair video. (White
House, 2013). While many public schools have world class rigor, many lack the
essentials to develop students to the level where they need to be in order to
present a science project at the White House. Inconsistencies in expectations
lead many parents like myself to have a preference for private instruction.
It
is my personal belief that the right for a parent to choose which school their
child attends is that parent’s prerogative. US Education needs to meet the
demands of globalization in order to become more competitive with other
countries. Ina conversation I had today
with a teacher in training, he said he spoke with a woman from Europe who said
“ Oh we did that already” when he was
explaining to her what his course of study was in his college level
calculus course. American Public school education has done an excellent job of
making Common core standards mandatory. These are standards that have been
developed from world standards in education from other countries. (Common core,
2013). However it is rife with inconsistencies in clear expectations, as is evidenced
by academic test scores, district policies and classroom expectations.
References
WDPI,
(2013). Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Retrieved from:
http://standards.dpi.wi.gov/stn_ccss
Kellner, D. (1995).
New media and new Literacies:
reconstructing education for the
new millennium. Retrieved from:
http://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/kellner/essays/newmedianewliteracies.pdf
Resnick, M. (2006). Computer as Paintbrush: Technology, Play, and the Creative Society.
Retrieved
from: http://web.media.mit.edu/~mres/papers/playlearn-handout.pdf
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/educate-innovate
Hess, (2011). Old School: college's most important trend is the rise of the adults: The Atlantic. Retrieved from: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/09/old-school-colleges-most-important-trend-is-the-rise-of-the-adult-student/245823/
