What Should the Classroom Be?

This is of course an enormous question.  However I would like to present two polarizing views.  Each of these views are going to be a bit of an extreme or caricature of the real world.  However, I think they will reveal some fundamental differences that we can identify when selecting technologies.

The first view of the classroom is that it is fundamentally a place where content is delivered to students.  The students then digest that content and retain it.  Some may refer to this as a “Sage on the Stage” type of mentality.  Textbooks, lectures and educational videos are all delivery mechanism of this type of model. The student becomes a consumer of content.  There is a clear line between those who create content and those who consume it.

The second view of the classroom is that it is an essentially creative space.  In this view, students are active participants in creating and directing their learning experiences.  Digital story telling, role playing, simulations, wikis and blogging are just a few examples of creation centric learning experiences.

With these two views in mind we must now turn our eyes to technology. The first assertion that I will make is that certain technologies (including hardware) will tend to lean toward vision of the classroom or the other.

The First Option

For the sake of example I would like to take two pieces of technology that I have been working with lately and contrast them.  The first device is the iPad.  This device I would assert is in general designed to be a consumer’s device.  Here are a few reasons why.

The hardware

When the iPad was announced, it was missing several things that many people expected.  The first and most prominent omission was the camera.  With the exclusion of a built in camera the iPad has been forever crippled over its smaller brother, the iPhone, in it’s content creation ability.   A camera would have opened up a world of content creation possibilities.

Another feature that many expected was USB ports.  While this may seem trivial at first, this omission precludes the use of hundreds of innovative hardware technologies that might have otherwise integrated with the iPad

A final feature that was not expected but does severely limit the devices creative uses is the lack of a built in keyboard.  Now I know there will be those who say that you just need to get used to a software keyboard.  I would like to say that I am.  I regularly use 3 different software keyboard devices and I love them for short form text entry.  However you still cannot beat the touch typing speed of a full size physical keyboard.

The Software

When the iPad was rumored many were expecting that it would run a modified version of OSX.  Instead, what we got was a modified version of iOS.  There are a number of limitations to this os that make it a content consumer rather than creation devise.

First, the lack of a  file system severely limits what software creators can do.  Data must be stored in the cloud and thus offline access is tricky if implemented at all.  Without one of the expensive 3g options this becomes a serious problem.

The app store is another serious problem.  With the app store being the only way to get new software on the device, most students are essentially locked out of creating or modifying software for their devices.  Adobe attempted partially to solve this problem by creating easy to use software to create iOS apps with.  We all know how this turned out.  Apple turned around and severly locked down iOS app creation.  Now, the only way to create a iOS app is to buy a Mac and learn objective C.

In addition the app store approval process is haphazard process that at times takes weeks or months.  If students want to create content, that is a long time before their content is actually realized on devices.  The line between content creator and content consumer is clearly drawn in the app store.  There are those who can create apps and those who can’t.

Along with the lack of USB ports comes the general lack of support and drivers for external devices.  Why shouldn’t I be able to present any app on a projector or plug in my thumb drive to transfer files or plug in my smart board to manipulate apps?  Again the focus is on consuming apps and content not on reuse, sharing and creation.

Now to be fair the iPad does consume content gracefully and efficiently.  I have an iPad and I would be the first to say that it is a very pleasant way to consume media.   If you find yourself falling in the philosphy the the first classroom that I described then the iPad might just be the thing for you and your students.

The Second Option

Though there are many devices that I could point to for this next section I have chosen to focus in on just one for the sake of example. The Dell Latitude 2110 netbook.  This device, while similar in size and weight, does have distinct features that set it apart from a device like the iPad.

Hardware

The hardware of the Dell is about the same weight and size as an iPad, though slightly thicker.  However, there are a number of features that set it apart from devices like an iPad.

First, there are an array of ports available around the edge of the computer.  These ports make the Dell 2110 extremely flexible for content creation.  Scanners, digital cameras, printers, optical drives, iPads, keyboards, joysticks, 3g cards and much more can all be plugged in.  This ease of expansion of the hardware itself make the Dell a very creative device.  Students are not limited to the device that they are holding.  Instead they can easily integrate the device with other devices around them.

In addition, the dell features a built in webcam.  Something that is sorely missing from the iPad.  With this webcam students can, create digital stories, video presentations, video conference with experts and document and capture experiments and field experiences.  Features like this make the Dell a device that allows students become content creators instead of consumers.

I will mention, even though it does not provide a distinction from the iPad that right below that webcam is a touch enabled screen.  This screen allows students to interact with the device in a very natural and fluid manner.  Right, below that screen though, is the physical keyboard.  This keyboard encourages creativity by

Software

The Dell 2110 that I use is loaded with Windows 7 which is a very robust operating system.  However, even at this level you are offered options.  I have also loaded this netbook with Linux distributions and it has performed beautifully. I have head some people say you can really compare desktop OSs to a mobile OS like iOS because iOS boots up so much faster, however the video test below shows that this is just not true.

Once we move beyond the os the differences become even more apparent.  There are hundreds if not thousands of different ways to develop applications.  Flash, java, visual studio, javascript, silverlight… the list goes on and on.  In addition, there is no walled garden, Microsoft, Dell or any other company do not get to decide what applications they deem worthy of their device and which they don’t.  This does have the disadvantage of less quality control, however it allows for experimentation and creativity that iOS devices just do not allow.  With this wide pallet of options for development, developers have created millions of apps that are allow for both content creation and digestion.  Why is it that writers, graphic designers, video editors and photographers all still have laptops or desktops?  Because, it is still the first class experience in content creation.

Summery

My hope by making these comparisons is not to persuade you or dissuade you from using a particular device.  However, I hope that it is a vivid example of the fact that we do not simply use our technology, but our technology uses and shapes who we are and how act.  Tools have side affects, positives and negatives that go beyond simple how “useful” they are.   They have a profound impact on us.  Thus, I believe, we must consider carefully the tools that we put in our students hands and how those tools will shape and change our next generation.

Does this idea have any merit whatsoever?  Or are traditional print texts on their way out in favor of ereaders?  Only time will tell for sure but I wouldn’t count the traditional book down for the count yet.  What is more fundamentally interesting  about this idea though is the interface that allows the end user to create a new compilation of content from existing articles.  I could see this same interface used very effectively to customize textbooks whether they are in print or ebook form.  What are your thoughts?  Is Wikipedia on to something?

“We’ve also heard from many Network Creators who use Ning in the classroom as an integral part of their curriculum. I am particularly excited to announce that a major education company will be sponsoring Ning Mini Networks for educators in primary and secondary education. Ning will remain free for K-12 educators and their students. We’ll have details on this program soon!”

I applaud Ning on at least trying to make good with the education market.  However the fact that this free service is sponsored by an outside donor is somewhat disconcerting.  What happens if that donor pulls their funds?  I would advise educators to proceed with caution with any Ning adoption for integral learning activities.

Looking at the key trends identified in the executive summary one really stood out to me, “The perceived value of innovation and creativity is increasing. Innovation is valued at the highest levels of business and must be embraced in schools if students are to succeed beyond their formal education.”  The main point that I draw from this is that the factory model of education no longer cuts it.  We have moved from being an industrial nation to a nation of innovators, inventors and entrepreneurs.  It is no longer acceptable to provide a cookie cutter education that produces cookie cutter workers for our factories.  As educators we must start to examine the structures that we have set up and determine if they are still valuable in our rapidly changing world.  As the report identified,”A key challenge is the fundamental structure of the K-12 education establishment.”

One point where I think the Horizon report may have missed the mark is in its predictions on flexible displays.  Horizon sees flexible displays being integrated into textbooks in 4-5 years.  I would like to suggest that instead we will see the death of the traditional textbook in the next 5-7 years.  Textbooks are simply becoming too inflexible and non-dynamic to be relevant in 21st century education, and the  technology to move to dynamic texts is here right now.  Ipads, iPods, netbooks, kindles, sony readers, nooks, etc are all solutions right now.  What we need is for textbook writers to change the way that they think about textbooks.  Otherwise, students and educators will find other resources that provided an integrated rich multimedia experience.

There is plenty more to look at in this report, so feel free to comment and let us know what you think.

The bigger question however is, will users continue to trust free services online.  Some free services have definitely carved out a space and have a defined business model, such as gmail.  However, other services have attempted to get buy in through offering their service for free before they begin to monetize.  Ning’s strategy, obviously not inspire confidence in the company as a whole and will likely leave many users with a sour taste in their mouth.  The argument can be made, that it would be better and perhaps even more reliable to self host community spaces.  There are several benefits, you have complete control over your site, you can choose which product you want to use and when you want to migrate between them and if you already own or rent hosting space or a server you have everything that’s needed to set up an online community.

One popular tool in higher ed is http://elgg.org/.  This is a powerful application that let you set up your own online community.  It does, however, take a bit of technical expertise to install.  An even simpler option is buddypress.org.  Buddypress is actually a set of plugins and themes for Wordpress that turns your Wordpress blog into an online community similar to Ning.  With wordpress’s super simple install process and simple online plugin install this option has come within the reach of technical novices.  The payback is huge.  With either of these open source projects, you have a site that is completely under your control and cannot be canceled.  In addition, you can choose how and if you want to monetize your site.

I know I have only mention a few options.  If you have other ideas, please include them in the comments section.