by Tracy Harrington-Atkinson
Levine and Dean (2012) project the need for educational change. “The education we offered to previous generations, whether successful or not, will not work for these students. Toward this end, we suggest colleges and universities develop programs to educate students for the twenty-first century” (p. 164). Changes in every field have occurred at lightning speed. In many professions, there are no similarities to the same occupation from 100 years ago. However, education does not boast of this change. An educator from 100 years ago could easily step into our college classrooms and begin teaching without many difficulties. Although there may be a few odd and strange additions to the classroom such as an overhead projector or a computer, the chalk and chalkboard from the past is still proudly displayed at the center of every classroom (Molebash, 2013), announcing the content-centered, teacher-centered instructional methodologies.
The lecture method of instruction is still the most predominately seen on higher education campuses today despite its originations. This methodology started in use over two thousand years ago when books were rare. The fixed podiums and tiered seatings enable the students to hear the expert who had examined the materials, searched through the books and learned from the feet of the masters (McGarr, 2009). Yet in today’s information rich society, this methodology needs to be re-examined. No longer is information difficult to acquire. Books are so prevalent that the consumer does not even need to go to a bookstore to purchase one. They are available at the drugstore, grocery store, convenience store, big wholesale stores and if an individual does not wish to leave their home to purchase their book, they can order it online and have it delivered within 24 hours.
Additionally, the learner does not need to purchase information through a book. Information streams to students constantly with pop up windows and pushed information which is predominantly displayed on their electronic devices. News programs, the means to acquire the current events in conjunction with the newspaper, were the most common resource for the last generation. This generation, however, gets their news through the internet and news apps. These digital natives do not need newspapers and TV news shows when they can access the news at their fingertips on their time frames. They are not locked into the 7a, noon, 6p, 10p routines of their parents who wanted an update on news. The greatest dilemma in higher education today is simply the digital immigrants, namely the professors, are attempting to teach the digital natives, namely the students, information without the use of technology (Levine & Dean, 2012). This dilemma is further exacerbated as the digital native experiences diphobia, the fear of being without a digital device, as they enter a no technology classroom.
Sources:
Levine, A. & Dean, D. (2012). Generation on a tightrope. Josey-Bass: San Francisco, California.
McGarr, O. (2009). A review of podcasting in higher education: Its influence on the traditional lecture. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 25(3), 309-321.
Molebash, P. (2013) Technology and education: current and future trends. Retrieved from http://itari.in/categories/futuretrendsineducation/FutureofEdu-Tech.pdf
By Tracy Harrington-Atkinson
Tracy Harrington-Atkinson, mother of six, lives in the Midwest with her husband. She is a teacher, having taught elementary school to higher education, holding degrees in elementary education, a master’s in higher education and continued on to a PhD in curriculum design. She has published several titles, including Calais: The Annals of the Hidden, Rachel’s 8 and Securing Your Tent. She is currently working on a non-fiction text exploring the attributes of self-directed learners: The Five Characteristics of Self-directed Learners.
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