Desks Not in Rows

Who can be surprised that colleges are developing new degrees that center on the newest, developing technologies?

Will Richardson's blog informs us that Michigan has developed a degree in social computing, which means that "Students pursuing a specialization in Social Computing learn to analyze online social interactions, both in online communities and in more diffuse social networks. They learn about features of social computing technologies so they can recognize opportunities to put them to use in new settings and make good choices about alternative implementations."

If this degree is popping up in Michigan, I bet other schools will jump on the bandwagon. Maybe if it isn't even just this specific degree, but other schools will create other programs that focus on computer technology. Jobs that we can't even think of now will be the ones that our students will be working for in many years. Friedman tells us that. I guess we better start preparing our students for these types of degrees and work in the classroom. We also should introduce them to these types of programs so that they know they can pursue these careers.

Adding on this same idea, another blog post of Will's shows a School 2.0 Project in where a group envisioned the following changes for their school and community within the next 3-5 years:

-A community where the conversation is more about what students are demonstrating than the scores on the test.
-Where residents have a window into the classroom.
-A community that can participate in a more global conversation about learning and teaching.
-A school that is the center of learning for the community.
-One that has a more open network to the world.
-One with more opportunities for global learning.
-One where the desks aren’t in rows.
-Teachers that have wider learning networks and are excited about new technologies.
-Teachers that have freedom to learn and feel supported and not fearful.
-Students that have more freedom to learn and are drivers of their own learning.
-Students that have more collaborative learning experiences and interactions with the local community.
-Learning that is centered around essential, big questions.
Isn't this exactly what we're trying to create in our own future classrooms? This seems to be the central discussion we constantly talk about in 307. Will has initiated these kinds of ideas in this school, but we can do the same in others. These types of changes are the future; not necessarily the stereotypical image of the classroom in rows that we may be observing right now.

When I took the ATS-W teacher certification test this weekend, the test seemed to constantly reinforce how much New York State teachers should prepare students to become active citizens and participants in their communities, and that teachers should be able to teach to multiple styles of learning. The classroom that Will envisions in his blog posts adheres to New York State's calls. Using a media literacy classroom (like Hobbs envisions) would appeal to many different styles of learners. Will's idea focuses on that as well, and it gets students involved as active members of their community.

How can New York State complain when we are addressing their greatest demands of us? We can have our students nail the tests they want them to pass if we can first generate interest in learning. They can excel if we give them the proper resources and motivation, but first we need interest. Interest is in media literacy and change in a dry system, so if we have the tools available, why not use them?