from Tech&Learning
The future classroom as seen at Techforum
To be honest, the initial reaction I had to the
crowd assembled at Tech&Learning's Techforum keynote event
last month in Palisades, NY, was annoyance. How rude was it for
so many to be typing on laptops or glancing at handhelds while
edtech guru David Warlick was on stage speaking?
But in fact, Warlick encouraged it. He directed people to his own
and other Web sites as the lecture was also broadcast over the
Web. At the same time, audience members "back channeled"—
that is, chatted online about the action in the room via Twitter
and instant messaging. How meta! At times, even Warlick was
hunched over his own laptop, opening a new application or
checking his buddy list.
It was a eureka moment of sorts for me—so this is what the classroom
of the future will look like. Not one lecturer spouting by
rote to mute recipients, but true interactive learning—groupthink
in a positive sense—with the presenter, or, teacher, acting as the
maestro; teachers and students alike swimming in a mixed media
sea of information, pulling out relevant bits, debating over the
merits, and assessing their progress as they go. Some more
beauty with this process: the amassed results of the event are
stored for your review and critique. Go to our Techforum page and
join in. Watch the archived Webstream, read through the assorted
discussion, and access the other resources yourself. Then add
your own thought by emailing me or post your thoughts to our
Forums page.
Now think to yourself: wouldn't it be nice to run a classroom this
way?
Kevin Hogan
Editorial Director