It is already coming. I did some work for a company in SF this summer that wants to do exactly that: allow for students to choose their course, choose their teacher, and interact through recored video lectures, discussions, etc. It is not live, but rather anytime-anywhere. It is still very young, still in beta, and only with limited choice (hey, it’s the first generation, what do you expect?!?) but there are hopes that this model will be very scalable as the demand increases.

Not only is this (shameful) self-promotion, but it points to the future: if students don’t feel like they are getting what they need they can ‘outsource’ their teachers. More importantly, if teachers don’t adapt to their (new) environment, they will lose their students to other sources…

If only education understood this. If education was put on the free market like business or industry we would be forced to evolve or die.

My prediction: We will see freelance teacher start to pop up on the web in the near future. A teacher teaching their subject from anywhere in the world and any student can take their course. As soon as that happens the school will be forced to rethink.

Interesting. I would love to hear Lucy’s response. I would think that her time in industry would affect this. Business has to change, has to constantly reinvent, or you are no longer a business. Seeing that Lucy is also the oldest member of your staff would also put weight on the notion that it’s not an age gap but rather a though gap that we need to cross.

First, very eloquently put Lorna. Just as we try to teach our children, ‘we’ is more powerful than ‘I’. But, as Lao Tzu said, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The journey of changing education will, ultimately, begin with one person pushing for that change.

Second, teachers are notorious control freaks. By not changing, we are instituting a certain amount of control over our environment. Plus, a lot of the change that is occurring requires teachers be willing to relinquish control of their content at times. For some people, that is the most threatening thing you could push upon them.

Third, although I am not a fan of the native/immigrant divide, as these so-called digital natives enter the teaching force in greater numbers and begin to take on positions of responsibility, they will undoubtedly force the entire structure of education to change. The question then is, how long will it be before there is a critical mass of digital native teachers?

As for your question, should we be even trying to change? Wasn’t it Darwin who said, “Evolve or die”? If teachers don’t try to change they will make themselves obsolete. Perhaps in a tenure-driven North American school that doesn’t matter, but in the world of international teaching, that will make all the difference in the world come job-hunting season.

Being a self- directed learner, in a world in constant change, takes a certain kind of resolve and a considerable amount of motivation. The “I” and “We” need to see the need for change.

Please keep passing on the lessons.

The staff here has worked hard to embrace change and different teachers of course are in different places along the path BUT.. you make this point

“We grew up in a era when you just learned how to do something and that was it….you went off and did it your whole life. No need to change, everything stays the same. Case in point…how many of you have only ever worked in education?”

AND interestingly Lucy who is both the oldest member of our staff and the earliest adopter and the most fearless explorer came to our school from industry ie education is a second career.

Is this a coincidence or did it help her to understand the idea or relearning…I plan to ask her .but I also wonder if any others can make similar connections

You really nailed it! Incredible post…it’s funny too often times educators are quick to complain about “new ideas or tools, etc”, but are not willing to take the necessary steps to adjust and change.

Melissa