A Round Table Discussion

In early November, T.H.E. Journal published a conversation between past and present Directors of the federal Office of Technology. They had quite a few interesting thoughts, among them:

"We are now on the verge of seeing new technologies and innovations enabled by the data that has been collected by schools, teachers, and state systems." John Bailey, former director, Office of Technology

 

"Across all other industries, professionals have gotten used to having their own computer where they can keep their connections, the entire portfolio of all of their projects, and their presentations. We have not gotten to the level of personalization that we need to. Given that education is a knowledge industry, we need to figure out how we get every student his or her own personal device." Karen Cator, current director, Office of Technology.

 

"I think over the next 18 months or so we’re going to see a transition from a predominantly print-based classroom to a digital classroom in which students have devices and the content is provided for them online in a much more flexible and customizable manner." Karen Cator

 

"We’re social animals. We like to learn with each other. We like to learn by talking and expressing. These platforms offer an amazing opportunity to push the envelope on personalized learning and work with others in the classroom to combine thoughts and share notes." Karen Cator

 

The article is full of tremendous insight. If you're interested in more, it can be found at:

http://thejournal.com/Articles/2010/11/01/Talkin-about-a-Revolution.aspx?Page=1