The year 2020 conjures up images of flying cars, teleports, robot servants and funky flipped hair a la Judy Jetson. But we’re rapidly approaching 2020, and there’s no moon colony in sight. But perhaps the so-called space age looks a little different than it does on TV. Eleven years ago, who could have imagined a world of Twitter, iPhones, and webcasts? (I, for one, was too concerned with the Backstreet Boys to give any thought to the technology of the future.) There’s no telling where the next eleven years will take us, but it’s fun to imagine the possibilities, especially in regard to education.
When I was a high school student, I had the sense that I was waiting for my chance to make an impact on the world. Now students make their mark every day through technologies like wikis, class blogs, and through corresponding with people all over the world via email or social networking sites. It’s incredible to be able to offer our students this kind of opportunity to participate in the world just as they are. They can leave their fingerprint on the world even now—there’s no need to wait for adulthood. Just think of brother and sister team Dave and Catherine who are probably millionaires now because of their invention, myyearbook.com. I think the future will bring many more examples of student potential as we gain more technology and become more familiar with the possibilities of the technology we already have. Adolescents (really, even pre-teens) in 2020 will more closely resemble fellow citizens rather than subordinate students. Students are thriving and will continue to thrive in this world of rapid change, and we as educators are going to have to lace up our Nikes and commit to keeping up.
In looking to the future, we’ll have to continually question how our role as educators will change. Really, the definition of the term “teacher” will continue to evolve as students take a more and more active role in their own education and in the world around them as a result of the emerging technologies that invite them to do so. With any search engine, students today have access to the information that previously required a persistent academic search. One can only imagine how much truer this statement will be in 2020! Simply providing information will not suffice for teachers to continue to have jobs. (If information were all students needed, teachers would become more obsolete with every Google search.) In 2020, teachers will need to provide opportunities for learning and unique guidance rather than simply provide information (though I would argue that this is just as necessary today). In 2020, I doubt teachers will lecture and lead—instead, I think they will guide and facilitate. Teachers of 2020 will need to work with students to meet a common goal and they will need to be clear why specific goals are important and valuable to society—because the kids will ask, and they won’t feel the need to cooperate if the answer doesn’t satisfy them. Students of 2020 will be much more independent and probably better versed on the culture and technologies in the world around them. Teachers need to be prepared to learn from students.
The idea of “keeping up” is a recurring theme when I think of the year 2020, and it doesn’t just apply to teachers keeping up with our students. Countries like India and China are placing a much higher value on education (though it’s up for debate whether or not this is a good thing), with longer school days, fewer breaks, and Saturday school. In order to continue to complete in the global market, our students, and teachers alike, are going to have to do some fancy footwork. (If you’d like more information on this phenomenon, check out www.2mminutes.com.) With students overseas clocking in many more educational hours, it’s daunting to think what implications the sum of these extra hours will have on our society eleven years from now. A little bit at a time, other countries are inching forward. I’m not sure whether or not this should make us panic, but I do think that we need to consider what it means for education today, and what it will mean for education in the future.
In 2020, it seems that our country will be tempted, out of a fear that other countries are outdoing us or out of a sense of competition, to place primary focus on subjects that support careers like engineering. I hope that we won’t continue to shy away from the arts, but if legislation mandates it, teachers will want to be prepared to incorporate the arts in other ways. For example, the English teacher should teach poetry through music, theatre through Shakespeare, etc. The 2020 teacher should be a renaissance man or woman—willing to take on more than just his or her content area (technology, the arts, literacy, etc.) in the best interest of his or her students.
We should certainly be excited about the way that technology is pushing us forward, but we’ll want to be careful that we don’t forget other important aspects of education in the whirlwind. In 2020, I hope that we will be so accustomed to technology that we use it as a means and not an end, which seems to happen a lot now. We don’t want to use technology for the sake of technology, but because it can enhance our lives and the educational experiences of our students. In addition, in 2020, because we’ll be more accustomed to the implications of technologies like social networking, blogs, wikis, etc., we’ll be better prepared to educate our students on the ethical aspects of these technologies.
The future looks bright, but it’s up to us to ensure that all of the technologies and knowledge we are accumulating are used to educate, and not to replace educators. My vision of 2020 stars teachers who are doing just that, working towards a more student-centered approach with every new innovation.
