Are US teachers being left behind?

Participants at Blackboard's "Educational Leadership Forum"

On 16/5/2007 Blackboard Inc. hosted an "Educational Leadership Forum" at the National Press Club in Washington DC. Blackboard's Peter Segall introduced a panel of 4 US experts in technology enabled learning, which was moderated by Adam Newman of Eduventures, in front of a small invited audience. Like Desire2Learn at its Personalisation and innovation in education "round table" at the UK Education Show on 22/3/2007, there was no "sell" of any kind. Panel members were:

• Susan Patrick (who has been Director of the Office of Educational Technology at the U.S. Department of Education);
• Ken Kay (President, Partnership for 21st Century Education);
• Don Knezek (CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education);
• Debra Sprague (Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Education, George Mason University).

The panel's focus was on how America's school, college, and university students are faring in today's global economy.

I found it helpful to listen (rather than watch) the whole 90 minute panel discussion - below as a Google video - partly because it shows how much overlap there is between US and UK policy concerns, and how insularly we examine these. (You'd put money on none of the panel members having read the UK 2020 Gilbert Review - [216 kB PDF].) Take particular note of Sprague and Knezek's comments (about 33 minutes into the video below) on the impending teacher crisis, and on the importance of close integration between schools and universities on teacher training; and on the discussion between Kay and Sprague (about 47 minutes in) about the (ill?)preparedness of long serving staff in university teacher training departments to prepare trainee teachers to use technology in pedagogically effective ways.  The discussion of the globalisation of teaching (about 52 minutes in), and about the failure of schools to build on the digital skills that learners have (about 100 minutes in) are also interesting.

With thanks to Jim Farmer who was at the session, for telling me about it.

Comments

[buffy205]

Hello-
I could not find the Google video link but I did peruse through the UK 2020 Gilbert Review. In one section there is a table that shows school responses to challenges. I noticed that some listed specific technology solutions such as ICT, remote lessons using video-conferencing etc. Other responses mentioned include approaches to: engage students and raise achievement, learn how to learn, engage pupils as active partners and using timetables flexibly. Do you think that WebQuests could fulfill much of the purposes behind these approaches? If not, what ideas do you suggest? I am taking an online course in ed. technology at the moment and am seeking ideas to use...

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Buffy. Could it be that your school blocks access to Google Video? In answer to your question I would say that WebQuests have a part to play, but that if that is the main vehicle for learning, learners would soon tire of it. Seb.