Having a vision is important. It’s a road map for where we want to go and how to get there. If you don’t have a vision or goal, you risk doing things the way they’ve always been done. And as Albert Einstein said, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them”

That quote was included in a video I just finished watching entitled Did You Know, which had some very interesting information about the world with respect to education and the effects of technology. I wasn’t surprised by the information; but the video did a great job of synthesizing what we already know, that the world is changing at lightning speed, and encouraging us as educators, parents, and concerned citizens to re-imagine education and how it will meet that challenge.

Technology has the potential to completely change education. But too many educators, policy makers, and legislators are married to curriculum as it stands today…drill and spill, teach to the test, improve those test scores. We still follow the same model of schools which prepared students for the factories of our forefathers which don’t exist any more. Wesley Fryer, author of the blog Moving at the Speed of Creativity, just did a great post on the continued emphasis on “rigorous curriculum,” Considering Rigor in light of 21st Century Skills, ePortfolios, and Digital Identity. Much like the Did You Know video, it encourages completely re-thinking education and how it is delivered. We should not just use technology to deliver curriculum as it exists today. We need to start with a clean slate. What should education look like today and in the future? What should schools look like? What kind of curriculum will serve students and prepare them for an ever-changing future?

My vision is to use technology to inspire students. The first tool I’ve found that I would like to utilize is called The Flat Classroom Project. It is a global collaboration project that brings together middle and high school students. As the Did You Know video pointed out, population growth is occurring most rapidly in Asia and college graduates in India and China outnumber the U.S. three to one. Opening communication and building relationships with people across the world is a skill that is vital to students and to the future of commerce, environmental issues, human rights issues, and political relations to name a few. It’s happening outside the classroom. Did You Know pointed out that if the registered users of MySpace were a country, they would be the 8th largest country in the world. How can we harness these connections inside the classroom?

The cell phone presents another opportunity, even though it’s not currently seen in that way. My son is forbidden to have one at his school. Have you gotten in trouble for cell phone use in the classroom? Imagine the possibilities if we looked at cell phones in a new light. Wesley Fryer has some great information on using Cells Phones for Learning at Teach Digital. I haven’t read all the information yet, but I know I will be using it as a resource when planning my lessons.

Those are just two components of a vision that I am continually working on. I would love to hear about your vision for the future of education and even your classroom. We can learn from and inspire each other. Collaboration and sharing resources is what it’s all about. And in that spirit, find some additional reading on technology and learning at Hacking Education. Till next time, happy learning.