21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by ... - UNM 2020

6/6/12 TeachPaperless: 21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020
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Tuesday, December 15, 2009
21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education
by 2020
Last night I read and posted the clip on '21 Things That Became
Obsolete in the Last Decade'. Well, just for kicks, I put together my
own list of '21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by
2020'.
1. Desks
The 21st century does not fit neatly into rows. Neither should your
students. Allow the network­based concepts of flow, collaboration,
and dynamism help you rearrange your room for authentic 21st
century learning.
2. Language Labs
Foreign language acquisition is only a smartphone away. Get rid of
those clunky desktops and monitors and do something fun with that
room.
3. Computers
Ok, so this is a trick answer. More precisely this one should read:
'Our concept of what a computer is'. Because computing is going
mobile and over the next decade we're going to see the full fury of
individualized computing via handhelds come to the fore. Can't wait.
4. Homework
The 21st century is a 24/7 environment. And the next decade is
going to see the traditional temporal boundaries between home and
school disappear. And despite whatever Secretary Duncan might
say, we don't need kids to 'go to school' more; we need them to
'learn' more. And this will be done 24/7 and on the move (see #3).
5. The Role of Standardized Tests in College Admissions
The AP Exam is on its last legs. The SAT isn't far behind. Over the
next ten years, we will see Digital Portfolios replace test scores as
the #1 factor in college admissions.
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6/6/12 TeachPaperless: 21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020
6. Differentiated Instruction as the Sign of a Distinguished Teacher
The 21st century is customizable. In ten years, the teacher who
hasn't yet figured out how to use tech to personalize learning will be
the teacher out of a job. Differentiation won't make you
'distinguished'; it'll just be a natural part of your work.
7. Fear of Wikipedia
Wikipedia is the greatest democratizing force in the world right now.
If you are afraid of letting your students peruse it, it's time you get
over yourself.
8. Paperbacks
Books were nice. In ten years' time, all reading will be via digital
means. And yes, I know, you like the 'feel' of paper. Well, in ten
years' time you'll hardly tell the difference as 'paper' itself becomes
digitized.
9. Attendance Offices
Bio scans. 'Nuff said.
10. Lockers.
A coat­check, maybe.
11. IT Departments
Ok, so this is another trick answer. More subtly put: IT Departments
as we currently know them. Cloud computing and a decade's worth
of increased wifi and satellite access will make some of the
traditional roles of IT ­­ software, security, and connectivity ­­ a
thing of the past. What will IT professionals do with all their free
time? Innovate. Look to tech departments to instigate real change in
the function of schools over the next twenty years.
12. Centralized Institutions
School buildings are going to become 'homebases' of learning, not
the institutions where all learning happens. Buildings will get smaller
and greener, student and teacher schedules will change to allow less
people on campus at any one time, and more teachers and students
will be going out into their communities to engage in experiential
learning.
13. Organization of Educational Services by Grade
Education over the next ten years will become more individualized,
leaving the bulk of grade­based learning in the past. Students will
form peer groups by interest and these interest groups will petition
for specialized learning. The structure of K­12 will be fundamentally
altered.
14. Education School Classes that Fail to Integrate Social Technology
This is actually one that could occur over the next five years.
Education Schools have to realize that if they are to remain
relevant, they are going to have to demand that 21st century tech
integration be modelled by the very professors who are supposed to
be preparing our teachers.
15. Paid/Outsourced Professional Development
No one knows your school as well as you. With the power of a PLN
in their backpockets, teachers will rise up to replace peripatetic
professional development gurus as the source of schoolwide prof
dev programs. This is already happening.
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6/6/12 TeachPaperless: 21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020
16. Current Curricular Norms
There is no reason why every student needs to take however many
credits in the same course of study as every other student. The root
of curricular change will be the shift in middle schools to a role as
foundational content providers and high schools as places for
specialized learning.
17. Parent­Teacher Conference Night
Ongoing parent­teacher relations in virtual reality will make parentteacher
conference nights seem quaint. Over the next ten years,
parents and teachers will become closer than ever as a result of
virtual communication opportunities. And parents will drive schools
to become ever more tech integrated.
18. Typical Cafeteria Food
Nutrition information + handhelds + cost comparison = the end of
$3.00 bowls of microwaved mac and cheese. At least, I so hope so.
19. Outsourced Graphic Design and Webmastering
You need a website/brochure/promo/etc.? Well, for goodness sake
just let your kids do it. By the end of the decade ­­ in the best of
schools ­­ they will be.
20. High School Algebra I
Within the decade, it will either become the norm to teach this
course in middle school or we'll have finally woken up to the fact
that there's no reason to give algebra weight over statistics and IT
in high school for non­math majors (and they will have all taken it in
middle school anyway).
21. Paper
In ten years' time, schools will decrease their paper consumption by
no less than 90%. And the printing industry and the copier industry
and the paper industry itself will either adjust or perish.
Posted by Shelly Blake­Plock at 9:45 AM
Labels: future of education, obsolescence
101 comments:
Anonymous December 15, 2009 4:23 PM
What about teachers?
Reply
Aaron Fowles December 15, 2009 4:50 PM
Replaced by Youtube. ;)
Seriously, though, the role of teacher is going to change. It is
already changing in some charter schools.
Reply
concretekax December 15, 2009 6:27 PM
teachpaperless.blogspot.com/2009/12/21‑things‑that‑will‑become‑obsolete‑in.html
Paperless Earth Day 2010
Over 1,500 teachers from across
six continents signed our pledge
to go paperless in their
classrooms for Earth Day 2010.
Here is the full documentation of
the event.
And here are examples of what
teachers did in their classrooms.
Thank you to all of the teachers,
students, and admins who took
part and who supported our
effort!
Favorite Posts
21 Things That Will Become
Obsolete in Education by 2020
Why Teachers Should Blog
I Am Not a Great Teacher
Top Eleven Things All Teachers
Must Know About Technology
Response to Criticism About Using
Twitter in the Classroom
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Mission Statement
At the End of the Anomaly of the
Age of Printed Books
From the Horse's Mouth: A
Textbook Editor on Textbooks
I Was a Paper Junkie
Why Do I Hate Paper?
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6/6/12 TeachPaperless: 21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020
Teachers will be obsolete, but lead learners will not. The
teacher role will continue to evolve to coaching and
facilitating learning ALONGSIDE students.
Unfortunately I am not sure that this will all happen by 2020
but we can always hope. The institution of education is very
resistant to change and will lag behind the rest of the world.
Reply
Cathy Stutzman December 15, 2009 7:01 PM
Oh my gosh, I can't wait for the future!
#11 could happen much sooner than we think. My school's IT
department is incredible­­they already have a big hand in a
lot of changes to pedagogy and PD. Most of them have
backgrounds as educators, and as all teachers become more
tech savvy, I see those roles blending a lot more.
Reply
Ryan J. Wassink December 15, 2009 10:22 PM
Great list! I often ask my students to describe the "future
classroom" and the craziest most of them get is putting
Interactive White Boards on more than one wall :­) It's fun to
think about the future while knowing that it won't go "as
planned". It never has, never will.
The elimination of paper will be awesome. I'm in charge of
our recycling program and am constantly amazed at the
amount of paper recycled on a daily basis!
Reply
GingerTPLC December 16, 2009 5:57 AM
Well, this is a nice wish list. I too, wish to see many/most of
these things happen. I'll be passing it on to those I know who
should consider these implications in their kids' lives.
Would need to have your post in a "more palatable" voice for
those who've not yet sipped the kool­aid. I'm afraid some will
just ignore it as silliness, esp that bit about AP.
Thanks for compiling/sharing.
Reply
Anonymous December 16, 2009 9:57 AM
This all sounds great, but do you think the NEA will actually
allow this to happen?
Reply
Replies
Anonymous March 23, 2012 11:39 PM
teachpaperless.blogspot.com/2009/12/21‑things‑that‑will‑become‑obsolete‑in.html
Twitter Updates
@MrMarsden I'm more interested
in teachers beta­testing &
repurposing than in being
trained. about 17 hours ago
@pharesr Cd vary widely; years
ago I got numbers on hs of 700
that spent $25K/year on paper
& printing (most redundant ­ it
was 1:1 school!) about 17 hours
ago
@irasocol DM me and let's plan
time to chat. 1 day ago
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Reply
Not if they can help it!
Jeff Utecht December 16, 2009 10:03 AM
Nice List! And I do hope that that all of these things do come
true. The only one I can't wrap my head around is the
reduction of paper. Yes I see it in MS and HS, but have a
hard time seeing it 10 years out in K­3/4. I think this is
where most paper is used today (it is at our school) and I
don't see those grades going to something digital in the near
future.....thoughts?
Reply
Anonymous December 16, 2009 10:32 AM
Let us not forget that teachers provide not only teaching but
also moral and emotional support to out children. We mustn't
chill students' humanistic traits for the sake of technology.
The teacher/parent/counselor/leader will never be obsolete!
Their roll may drastically change but there will always be a
need for teachers!
I am fully on­board with the 21st century model but lets not
lose site of the fact that we are still producing humans and
not training robots! :)
Reply
Anonymous December 16, 2009 10:40 AM
I wonder if some of these predictions will hold true for
underfunded schools. Technology is expensive, and you won't
find much of it, for example, in south side Chicago schools.
I'm sure the costs of technology will go down in the next 10
years, but for schools with barely any funding for things like
this, I doubt they'll be able to afford things like Smart boards
and mobile computing devices for all of their students.
Thoughts?
Reply
A Faire Alchemist December 16, 2009 10:56 AM
@Jeff and @Anon
Something to keep in mind with regards to materials and
cost is that these things in general are driven by the cultureat­large,
not schools. It's not that schools will all­of­a­sudden
'decide' to stop using paper; it's that culturally paper will
become less desirable and less used. In the last decade we
saw this happen with both land lines and CDs.
In terms of funding, as I've said again and again on this blog:
teachpaperless.blogspot.com/2009/12/21‑things‑that‑will‑become‑obsolete‑in.html
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6/6/12 TeachPaperless: 21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020
it's a matter of re­allocating resources. Look at how much
you spend on textbooks, software licenses, operating
systems, printing and printer repair costs, outsourced
professional development, web­design, promotional materials
and design. The money is there; it's just a matter of having a
clear vision of how to re­allocate it.
And to the other @anon: I don't think teachers will be
obsolete. I think the jobs that we are training them for today
will be obsolete. Teachers are going to have to take it upon
themselves to redefine the profession.
­ Shelly
Reply
Mike December 16, 2009 1:08 PM
Nice list. I wonder about #12 though. I'm not sure parents
would want their kids, or trust them enough, to use school as
a home base on occassion. I understand the sentiment, but
I'm not sure parents will want their kids on their own during
the school day like that. It would take a shift in parenting,
not just schools.
Reply
Anonymous December 16, 2009 1:22 PM
Neat list! As for #12, it will be difficult to move past the
need for "care" of the students, especially the younger ones.
While I agree that you can learn anytime and anyplace, it will
be difficult to eliminate or lessen this basic need.
Reply
Dave December 16, 2009 1:37 PM
I would love to see this happen! Funding and resistance to
change will be some obstacles to this.
What we need is a few schools and educators like us to get
to this point and show everyone how much better this way is!
Thanks for the great ideas. I'm saving this one!
Reply
Olaf December 16, 2009 1:39 PM
Can't honestly say I find this list anything other than a bit of
fun. It ignores the inbuilt conservatism in school
development.
I'm sure that a lot of these things will happen in isolated
cases, but that's a quantum leap from general acceptance.
Paper is not going to decrease by 90% in ten years. People
talked about the paperless office in the eighties, but the laser
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6/6/12 TeachPaperless: 21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020
printer saw to a massive increase in paper consumption.
Most schools that I visit are using computers between 8 and
10 years old. Without funding that time lag isn't going to
significantly change. And although funding is talked about by
politicians (before an election) it's rarely delivered.
If you had put 2040 or 2050 in the title it might have been
realistic, but as it stands I'm afraid you are set to be
disappointed.
Olaf
Reply
A Faire Alchemist December 16, 2009 1:48 PM
@Mike and @Anon
Here's a previous post thinking about mobile learning and
getting away from the centralization of a school building:
http://education.change.org/blog/view/goin_mobile
Shelly
Reply
A Faire Alchemist December 16, 2009 1:57 PM
@Olaf
Don't wait for systems to change: change your little part in
the system.
As for paperlessness in the 80's, didn't they try electric cars
back then too and that failed? Yet today we're developing ­and
selling ­­ mainstream hybrid and electric cars.
Ideas need to be incubated by culture. And I'm more than
willing to wager that the culture­at­large ­­ as evidenced by
mainstream acceptance of everything from MP3s to
YouTube/Hulu ­­ is more than prepped for paperlessness over
the next decade.
Shelly
Reply
Mark December 16, 2009 2:22 PM
Shelly, we're working to enact this vision in the short­term,
over here at a little title one elementary school inside the
Beltway. I responded to your list with what we're doing.
http://clairvoy.com/2009/12/16/21­things­that­will­beobsolete­in­2020­try­2010/
Thanks for the work and thinking you do.
Mark
Reply
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Matt Montagne December 16, 2009 5:37 PM
#22 ­ The traditional, 8­3, monday­friday, school model that
we see now. Like everyone else, I have questions about the
whole childcare issue as well. But let's not conflate childcare
with learning. Childcare is indeed necessary, but that can be
provided for much less than what it costs to send an
individual to school. So what can learning look like in 2020
given that we'll be able to provide some level of childcare?
I'm not sure, but I don't see the traditional, 8­3, mon­friday,
bell schedule model proliferating like it does now.
Reply
John McLear December 16, 2009 6:29 PM
Response with my views:
http://teachpaperless.blogspot.com/2009/12/21­things­thatwill­become­obsolete­in.html
very brief
Reply
John McLear December 16, 2009 6:30 PM
d'oh wrong url.. correct URL =
http://www.mclear.co.uk/2009/12/21­things­that­willbecome­obsolete­in.html
Reply
Knaus December 16, 2009 8:02 PM
Minneapolis Public Schools is already pushing Algebra in 8th
grade. I'm all for it but many of our students aren't readay. I
think that is a good reality.
The teacher as teacher is not the model that is currently
needed in my school, and I suspect many more. Our students
don't learn that way. The struggling teachers in my building
are teaching that way.
The teacher as lead learner or "student guide" is the model. I
know the objectives that need to be met and I know how to
get students to discover the learning through inquire,
collaboration and activities. That makes learning successful.
I love your wish list and hope that it becomes reality sooner
than later!
Reply
SenorG December 16, 2009 8:28 PM
Love the list and the discussion that follows. As for the
obsolecsence of teachers, look no further than the Natal
Project (see 3:40 vid on youtube) to see how the
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6/6/12 TeachPaperless: 21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020
contemporary concept of what we do is replaceable in the
near future by technology that will work extra hours,
requires no health or retirnment benefits, provides instant
feedback, uses data to differentiate on an individual level and
doesn't complain, gossip or call in sick. As others have
pointed out, there will remain roles for teachers but the job
could look very different in 2020.
Reply
fully December 17, 2009 12:43 AM
school buildings go multi use. they will include senior
centers, preschools, homeless day shelters, employment
training centers, or located on CSAs, organic farms, in
museums, theatres, metropolitan libraries, music/video
studios, also wharehouse/distribute recycled building
materials, computers, ecofriendly building supplies, they will
manufacture and innovate, build, reduce, reuse, and recycle.
What is your fancy? With whom can you collaborate? Who
will walk the halls with you?
Reply
Joe Bower December 17, 2009 1:44 AM
I would add marks/grades to this list as well. I believe our
understanding for Formative Assessment will continue to
grow ­ and one day it will eclipse our current dependence on
Summative Assessment.
Because we will also come to see the true power of intrinsic
motivation ­ and the inferior nature of extrinsic
manipulations ­ we will come to see just how right Jerome
Bruner was when he said, "Students should experience
success and failure not as reward and punishment but as
information."
And so we will cease to encourage students to have prove
over and over again how good they are ­ rather they can
spend that time simply learning and improving.
Reply
Anonymous December 17, 2009 8:54 AM
Great list! One would wish and even hope that all will occur.
Maybe this time it will! Why am I writing that because 15
years ago I was in a conference that said the exact same list,
especially the paperless! That one was the biggest joke,
because since the creation of laptops we have triple the
amount of photocopy. Teachers are creating their own
worsheets instead of using the text book. We have no choice
to do that because the text books are no longer the sole
resource for the teacher.
About, the illusion of not having classes and more home base
classes! I sure hope not because we will have a society of
clueless. Home schooling is not for the majority of the
students. They are different type of students. Then the online
learning!!! Adults take online classes because they are to
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6/6/12 TeachPaperless: 21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020
busy to assist at the night classes. The sad part is that, those
adults believe that since they can learn that way it must be
applicable to a student! That is the biggest mistake and
assumption I have ever experience. Their brain his not
mature enough to realize and understand the responsability
of that learning system. I could add more but enough!
All that said but don't get me wrong, I sure hope that we get
at least half of that or better yet all of them. Because at the
present moment, the institute of teaching asn't change for
centuries! Yep, if one of our ancesters of many years ago
would come back to life, the only place that would feel
familier to him or her, would be the our classroom! That is
really sad to realize. Everything else has evolve!!
Cheers GT
Reply
Matt Montagne December 17, 2009 11:38 AM
I would agree with Joe Bower's feelings on marks and
grades. Why would we want to continue seeing symbols that
represent student learning when we can see actual student
work that represents student learning?
Reply
A Faire Alchemist December 17, 2009 11:52 AM
@ Matt and Joe
Yup. And the real power of formative assessment really
shows when you have your students blog on a daily basis.
This has got something to do with #5 as well. Because the
formative quality of a digital portfolio done right ­­ as a
portfolio of the breadth of a student's work over multiple
years ­­ demonstrates not only the student's aptitude to do
well on tests, but shows the student's creativity, task
determination, analytical skills, and ability to synthesize the
authentic resources of the immediate global connection we
like to call the Internet.
And sooner than later in this coming decade, college
admissions counsellors are going to wake up to the insight
that a digital portfolio offers them a far superior overview of
a student's potential than a number reported from a testing
company.
Shelly
Reply
Bill Chapman December 17, 2009 12:53 PM
Since the classrooms I've visited this month look very much
like the ones in which I was a student in the 1950s and 60s, I
can only hope your list proves more prescient than those I've
seen over the past 40 years. Here is the link to a scan from
a 1989 issue of LIFE. In it, the editors predict things that will
teachpaperless.blogspot.com/2009/12/21‑things‑that‑will‑become‑obsolete‑in.html
The Ed Techie
Give me an M! ­ The second of
MOOC musing posts: On Twitter
recently Alan Levine bemoaned
that there was too much
emphasis on the M in MOOCs,
and I think it's the M that w...
21st Century Learning
Teacher as Travel Agent ­ I am
helping to lead a community of
practice initiative in Alberta,
Canada. I love the work because
it is focused on community and
inclusive environments r...
Ideas and Thoughts from
an EdTech
Podcast 53 Learning Out Loud
with Jennifer Brokofsky ­
Jennifer Brokosky interviewed
me about the idea of learning
out loud. We used Google On
Air, which works amazingly well.
I also ripped the mp4 and
created ...
The Fischbowl
A Fundamental Flaw ­ From the
May 21st issue of Fortune
Magazine (article not online
yet), comes this quote from
Fred Smith, founder and CEO of
FedEx: We put so much
emphasis o...
Concrete Classroom
My "What Now" ­ So I went to
TEDxGR this week and was
inspired just like last year. My
favorites again were the
scientists who talked about
design, specifically Andrew
Den...
Educational Insanity
Learn with me this summer?!?!
­ I’m pleased and excited to
announce that the VCU School
of Education is running our first
Emerging Technologies Institute
this summer. It’s a fully online
...
Adventures in Pencil
Integration
The Con Academy ­ "Mr.
Johnson, we have a guest who
we'd like you to meet," my
principal informs me. I walk
down the hallway and into the
conference room. "A bagel?" he
10/30

6/6/12 TeachPaperless: 21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020
disappear from everyday life in the US. Clearly, many are
still with us. The image is at http://twitpic.com/9xqyr
Reply
mrgranito December 17, 2009 11:09 PM
Thank you for including Wikipedia. My students have been
brainwashed to believe that Wikipedia is all fake. I spend
hours upon hours trying to convince them otherwise.
Reply
Anonymous December 18, 2009 12:32 AM
Ok, so why should I even bother going to school? If I can
learn from my house what is the point? You think kids who
don't do their homework in the first place are going to take
advantage of the broken barriers between home and school?
Socializing is more important to most high school students
anyway. Teachers will NEVER become obsolete! We will
always need those positive role models and leaders in our
society. Why bother studying if I can just go to Wiki and look
up anything I want? What's the point of learning everything
we do in school and being tested on it later if I can access
the same knowledge at anytime? Why educate doctors if
anyone could diagnose you based on the symptoms wiki has
to say?
Do we seriously want a generation of kids who can't even
print their own name on paper? This whole advancement in
technology is sounding very scary to me. We can't operate
our world with the touch of a button because what happens
when that button fails, when the system has a glitch, when
the satellite didn't receive necessary information, when we
have lost data? Computers can't take the role of people
because people are not programmed.
I believe that technology has many incredible purposes and
we should utilize some of them but when we start to become
dependent or let it control the way we live I think we have a
problem. For example, I probably used spell check 10 times
in writing this, and what has that taught me? Using
technology in a balanced way is the only way it should be
used.
Signed... A concerned student
Reply
mashadutoit December 18, 2009 9:37 AM
Just a thought ­
Seeing as you are writing a post that is available all over the
world ­ you might want to indicate if you are writing about
first world countries only, as seems to be the case.
There could be a very interesting article about the future and
possibilities for using technology for teaching in developing
countries.
Or at least acknowledge that the list will be very different for
teachpaperless.blogspot.com/2009/12/21‑things‑that‑will‑become‑obsolete‑in.html
ask...
Design for Learning
Young peoples opinions of digital
media ­ What patterns can be
found in the interactive media
activities and opinions of young
people? I’ve posted a few times
that I see patterns in the way
student...
Teacher Reboot Camp
Magical Moments in Mobile
Learning: 20+ Tips & Resources
­ This post is part of the mobile
learning category. Click to check
out other posts! This past
weekend I presented and helped
organized the Virtual Round
Tab...
nashworld
Off The Grid ­ We’re off once
again. Trying to contact me, or
one of my little band of
students, in the coming week
will be next to impossible. We’ll
be completely off th...
Philly Teacher
Philly Teacher has a new home!
­ After many happy years on
Blogger, Philly Teacher has
moved to its own domain! Come
check out the action at:
http://mbteach.com This site
will stay up, th...
Weblogg­ed
10 Years of Blogging: Time for a
Change and a Book ­ So last
week it marked 10 years since
my first blog post, a full decade
of writing and sharing online. As
I’ve said many times before, it’s
been an amazing...
Teacher in Transition
Where Do I Go From Here? ­ I
haven’t blogged for a while. I
haven’t blogged because I’m
confused. I work hard to be a
good teacher. I do all the things
I’m supposed to: I read profes...
Magistra's Musings
Experience matters ­ Recently
both President Obama and
Secretary of Education Arne
Duncan have stated that paying
higher salaries for teachers with
Masters degrees is money poo...
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6/6/12 TeachPaperless: 21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020
the majority of the world.
Reply
A Faire Alchemist December 18, 2009 6:57 PM
@mashaduoit
Absolutely. A look at ed and future of ed tech in the
developing world(s) is necessary. Would love to read if you
or any other readers have leads on what's happening on that
front.
Shelly
Reply
Anonymous December 21, 2009 10:54 AM
Unbelieveable...if you people really think that this is the
successful way to the future, then your as stupid as the
students that cant spell the word 'future'. Students have no
social skills what­so­ever being raised in a computer
generated world. They have no English skills as a result of
comp slg...oh what you dont know what computer slang
short­cutting is. The have no spelling skills as a result of
spell check.
Good luck living in a collapsed society ripe for a Chinese
take­over when the idiots you put out in the world try and
run this country. If society truly allows this to happen, you'll
doom us all. If you don't believe me...scroll to the kid named
Knaus and look at that set of paragraphs and tell me how
successful were going be without a human teaching morals,
pride, confidence, verbal skills, and proper social interaction.
Good luck living in that world.
Reply
Jean December 21, 2009 3:17 PM
Fascinating list! May it be soon and easily achieved.
Reply
Eric December 21, 2009 5:00 PM
This refreshing list of unorthodox predictions seems more
possible than probable.
Thank you for the invigorating reading! I hope you are more
accurate than I suspect as a prophet. Never undestimate the
ability of tradition and bureaucracy to undermine creative
technologies and authentic learning.
Reply
Ric Murry December 21, 2009 5:34 PM
One thing missing in all the "changes are coming" in
teachpaperless.blogspot.com/2009/12/21‑things‑that‑will‑become‑obsolete‑in.html
Christopher D. Sessums :
Weblog
A New Role for Colleges of
Education: Developing An
Empathic Capacity ­
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/
csessumscom/~3/QI3rBi1mOsc/
Without sounding too obvious,
the critical exploration of the
values and norms that have
shape...
Ed Tech Journeys
Ed Tech Journeys Status ­
Below, find an excerpt from a
chapter of one of my writing
projects, “Zen and the Art of
Teaching”. “My First Day” takes
place in January of 1974. I offer
...
Teach One­2­One
The Power of Fun ­ My class
erupted this week. We are
learning about the Medieval
times and we took a break from
content and focussed on one
particular siege weapon, the
treb...
Technology Blogs
Mashable!
Students Combine Pac­Man,
Double Rainbows in Elaborate
Coke­Pouring Contraption
[VIDEO] ­ More About: coca
cola, Coke, ijustine, josh
chomik, Marketing, rube
goldberg, ryan seacrest, Video
TechCrunch
YC­Funded Project Management
Tool Interstate Goes 2.0, Adds
Paid Accounts, Chat & Embeds ­
[image: Medium]Interstate is a
project management application
for small teams that focuses on
providing businesses and
developers with easily sharable
road...
Ars Technica
Iranian gov't pays paramilitary
hackers, bloggers to bring you
Islamic Revolution 2.0 ­ Iran
battles "westoxification" using,
well, westoxification.
ProgrammableWeb
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6/6/12 TeachPaperless: 21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020
education is the role of the student. Students will have to
WANT to learn implicitly. That change is far from realization.
Personally, I hope IT deparents do not have the authority to
direct change. Most are not filled with qualified educators,
but computer science or associate certificates in network
administration.
Reply
Barbara December 21, 2009 7:35 PM
I've been in the EdTech world for a long time and thought
we'd see lots more changes by now. In the US, we have had
at least 8 years of a focus on testing and accountability which
changed the classroom back to a teacher­led environment.
Not good! Now we have a generation of teachers who only
know how to teach using a prescriptive script. Many of my
friends have left teaching or retired because this focus on
teaching all children the same thing at the same time. Ugh!!!
I would love to see all these changes and if you have some
ideas on how to do this in urban and rural districts where our
at­risk students may not have the advantages of 1:1 laptop
programs, teachers that are more lead learners, and some of
our best teachers who don't even know there is a box. We
need creativity and innovation back in learning wherever and
whenver we learn.
Reply
njy69 December 21, 2009 10:24 PM
Look, I like a lot of what you've listed, but really you're
talking about education driven by learners, or education
consumers, rather than by education providers (the state and
federal authorities in charge of most of the education
budgets, and the regional authorities and schools in direct
control of delivery). These providers are so embedded in
concrete practices that I really can't see the changes you're
describing changing in a term as short as the next ten years.
We still educate the way we did at the start of the twentieth
century!
Reply
Anonymous December 22, 2009 1:36 AM
Agreed.. Learning on your own basis only works for so long
especially if you miss out on other people's opinions and
discussion in a controlled environment.
­
I think developing countries have more to worry about than
the latest in technology. Some people live in regions so poor
that their school has dirt floors. Technology is part of our
worlds problem to poverty and the existence of 3rd world
countries. I live in North America and the way we live here
helps absolutely no one but ourselves. We just consume
consume and consume. The amount of greed here is
unbelievable. Sure some people believe that technology will
teachpaperless.blogspot.com/2009/12/21‑things‑that‑will‑become‑obsolete‑in.html
71 eCommerce APIs: Seatwave,
Playme and eBay ­ [image:
Seatwave]Our API directory now
includes 71 eCommerce APIs.
The newest is the PayAnywhere
API. The most popular, in terms
of mashups, is the Seatwav...
GeekDad
There’s a Little Black Spot on
the Sun Today (Or There Was
Yesterday) ­ I am fortunate to
live in a town with plenty of
astronomy enthusiasts. There is
a very active Astronomy Club,
and plenty of amateur
astronomers with their ...
information aesthetics
Meshu: Turning Travel
Itineraries into Jewelry ­ [image:
meshu.jpg] The little online
shop Meshu [meshu.io] turns
one's travel itineraries into
wearable jewelry, such as a
necklace, earrings, or cufflink...
Other Blogs that Make You
Think
Infocult: Information,
Culture, Policy, Education
More Canadian body parts ­
Canada ups the real­life Gothic
ante this week, as police
discovered more human body
parts in the wrong places.
Appropriate for the home of the
severed foot:...
Seth's Blog
Forbidden to care ­ The rigid,
measured, top down structure
of big company customer service
makes it almost impossible for
the rep to care about you when
you call. One new trend...
Spencer's Scratch Pad
Classroom Leadership: From
Standardized to Personalized ­
I'm in third grade, one leg barely
on my carpet square and the
other leg nearly standing up.
I'm waving my hand frantically
and blurting out answers with...
Douglas Rushkoff
CNN: The IPO that Swallowed
Facebook ­ (CNN) ­­ Facebook
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6/6/12 TeachPaperless: 21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020
bring us out of poverty but if you want some real advice,
here is a quote from someone who saw our world for what it
really is: "Live simple so others may simply live"
­
And to me, most of these comments sound like a bunch a
robotic responses to something that sounds nice in retrospect
without putting in any real thought to make your own
opinion.
Reply
James Spittal December 23, 2009 5:50 PM
Excellent article, I agree with almost everything on this list.
These things won't be easy to achieve but together ­ we can.
James Spittal
http://merspi.com
Reply
marleen December 25, 2009 11:04 AM
In Flanders an argument raged about knowledge versus
skills. Promoting learner and competences­driven curricula
led to an overemphasis on skills, knowledge almost became
an ugly word because connected to teacher fronted
learning,to passive intake. It is the 'versus' that bothers me.
Why always these wild swings, I wonder, why forget what
was good in earlier tried and tested methods? Incorporate
innovation by all means, but don't forget that technology is
there to support and to facilitate new pathways, not to take
center stage and that new methodologies build on earlier
ones.
About e­portfolios: without an accompanying interview by
professionals to investigate and inquire into the
competences, the portfolios can be the result of a lot of
window dressing and mindless copying.
A mixture of autonomous and collaborative learning under
the guidance of continuously learning teachers trained in the
uses of new technology and all this in a well­funded
education system in step with the evolutions in others
domains in society, would be the ideal world for me.
Marleen ­ Gent
Reply
sourcepov January 2, 2010 4:29 PM
Outstanding post. I will be revisiting this often.
Change (in education, and elsewhere) requires a strong
sense of where we're going. I call it 'solution language' .. and
the faster we get to consensus on what that future state
might look like, the more productive we can be in trying to
get there.
teachpaperless.blogspot.com/2009/12/21‑things‑that‑will‑become‑obsolete‑in.html
advocates are touting the
company's initial public offering
this week ­­ the biggest ever for
an Internet company­­ as if it
will save ...
Ditch that Word
Christian Music ­ Note to Self:
There is no such thing as
Christian Music. And you
shouldn't use the term, because
you don't believe in Christian
coffee, Christian breath mi...
What they are saying about
TeachPaperless
ThinkSocial: Paley Center for
Media
Connected Principals
A Teaching Life
21st Century Educator
New York Times
Edutopia
Change.org
Education Week: Digital
Directions
ASCD Inservice
The Guardian
Converge
Baltimore Sun
AZ Central
Spartan Talk: Observation of the
Solon Superintendent
6AM Thoughts
Dallas Examiner
Learning Today
Mantz's Mission
You Blog
Reinventing Project­Based
Learning
GM Education: Teach Green
Greenopolis
Education Week: Digital Education
Blog
ASCD
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6/6/12 TeachPaperless: 21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020
There's a team of social innovators looking at how to do just
that. Check out #ecosys http://bit.ly/ecoED7 .. would love to
get your thoughts.
Reply
...a Florida teacher's point of view January 3, 2010
12:33 AM
Fun list, absolutely brimming with promise. Please let me
know when the education overlords in my state decide
students are worth the investment.
It reminds me that technology is a learning tool, not a
replacement for thought. To the extent that technology
supports thought, or inspires thought, though, it can be quite
helpful.
Sigh. What I've seen so far with education technology is a
somewhat lame series of vendor­driven gimmicks that would
be more useful in manufacturing a robot army. Conform.
Comply. Obey. Here, take another bubble test.
If education technology can become something real and
powerful, then it will help ignite the imaginations of our
students, help them discover the joy of problem solving, help
them develop a deep knowledge of global connectivity, and a
life­long love for literature, music, and the arts. When this
happens, students become problem solvers, inventors, and
creators.
While waiting for the good stuff you describe, I must rely on
the old standbys ­ genuine conversation with intelligent
human beings and words that deliver life­changing ideas.
Thank goodness for reading, writing, and speaking. Because
in my state, per­pupil funding is lower than dirt and
education technology is an oxymoron.
Reply
techieteacher January 6, 2010 11:13 AM
Intriguing post! But I have to partially agree with njy69 ­ I
don't think this list will become obsolete by 2020; I think
many of the things should become obsolete, but because of
the slow­turning wheels of educational change, the
entrenched mindset of teachers and school leaders, and the
parental notion of "this is how I learned", I don't think they'll
all be gone. Transformed? Absolutely. So maybe they'll
become obsolete in that sense...perhaps reworded as "less
recognizable."
Reply
Anonymous January 7, 2010 11:02 PM
In our current economy it takes a two person income to
survive. I don't see people giving up their jobs to stay home
with the kids so they can learn there via computers. Schools
teachpaperless.blogspot.com/2009/12/21‑things‑that‑will‑become‑obsolete‑in.html
Dangerously Irrelevant
Mid­continent Research for
Education and Learning
Teaching Chemistry
Cheyanne's Campsite
Stephen's Web
Andrew B. Watt's Blog
The Tide at Study Island
Library Infozone
Clairvoy
Web Teacher
Tech & Learning
Education.au
My23
Fireside Learning
edSocialMedia
Changing Face of Education in
Iowa
Swimming in the River
Corridor of Uncertainty
Flexspan
Pixily
From Inside the Schoolhouse
Random Thoughts
Teach J
What Was That
The Unquiet Librarian
Buzz Paperless
TeachPaperless was noted as a Twitterer worth
ReTweeting by Education Week's Digital Education
blog. Also in Ed Week: "Shelly Blake­Plock has had
some really intriguing posts already this year and I'm
already behind. Considering he published 639 entries
on his TeachPaperless blog in 2009 it's going to be
hard to keep up, but well worth the try."
“When I originally contacted Shelley last week to
inquire as to whether or not he would be willing to talk
to my staff, he jumped right in, and he didn’t
disappoint. What impressed me most about him as I
listened to him describe his practice was his clear
vision of what it meant for his students to function in a
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6/6/12 TeachPaperless: 21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020
will exist for a while because parents like the free "daycare".
Reply
GDhuyvetter January 8, 2010 1:32 PM
Thank you for this article. The voluminous response certainly
indicates its relevance.
One thread that I would like to briefly pick up is the need to
consider where these students are in a new decentralized
school system. I agree that much of what has been done in a
traditional classroom can take many different forms, and
many of these predictions are exciting. However, a lesstalked
about function of schools is a place to "hold" underage
people until they are able to be on their own (students
coming "of age" at different chronological ages is another
interesting point, but doesn't change this). As earlier
commenters mentioned, parents cannot universally stay
home with children, and even high school aged teenagers
need supervision.
That being said, I don't think we should preserve older
models artificially, but should be including this question in
any discussion of decentralized learning.
Reply
Kevin Connors January 29, 2010 10:38 AM
Interesting article! As an IT specialist myself, I can’t wait to
see many of these technological advances take place in
education. But I have to agree with some of the other
comments here that it probably will take longer than ten
years for these things to come about. I'm afraid there are
just too many bureaucratic, economic and social barriers yet
to hurdle in order to make this a reality by 2020.
Reply
Anonymous February 5, 2010 4:24 PM
I'd have to disagree with most of this. Schools will not
disappear.
Parents work and need a place for their kids while they work.
I am a teacher, I have tried home schooling and my kids
have mostly went to school. Why, well it is just easier.
AND computers were supposed to eliminate paper by 90%
over 2 decades ago. All they did was increase it by
10000000000000%.
I think a past 50 years history lesson is needed!
Reply
Jess February 12, 2010 10:31 AM
teachpaperless.blogspot.com/2009/12/21‑things‑that‑will‑become‑obsolete‑in.html
classroom that he designed: it was about them
learning. He truly designed the environment with their
learning–their unbridled learning–in mind. His decision
was not a secretarial one, but rather came from a
desire to push students to take control of information
gathering, processing, and creating.” – Chalkdust 101
Shelly's @TeachPaperless feed was named as one of
the 'Twitters to Follow' by the Lincoln Center Institute.
Shelly was awarded a press pass to NECC 2009 from
ISTE for his post:What Does Internet Blocking Suggest
to Students?
TeachPaperless was named one of the 'Top 25 Blogs
for Educators' byWorld Wide Learn.
"I think you have some great ideas for teachers, and
as we do professional development around the state of
Maryland, we will point teachers to your blog." Debbie
Vickers of Thinkport.org a partnership between
Maryland Public Television and Johns Hopkins
University's Center for Technology in Education
Shelly was named a 'Featured Author' for his
TeachPaperless comic series at Pixton. com.
"The invention of the computer promised to lead us to a
paperless society but has failed to deliver on that
promise... until now, perhaps?" TeachPaperless was
featured by Mid­continent Research for Education and
Learning as an Everyday Innovation
Labels
educational
technology education
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6/6/12 TeachPaperless: 21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020
The one thing they have forgotten to mention is that many
school districts can not afford this type of technology. I
worked for a school district that in 2008 was using machines
from 1998! Seriously, the machines had been upgraded, but
you could still see the original windows 1998 sticker on the
side. Not only is money is an issue, many school buildings
can not handle the infrastructure to handle new technology. I
have worked for 2 other school districts, one had not built a
new school in 35 years, the other had not built a new school
in 42 years! So I do not see some K to 12 school districts
moving this fast at all!
Reply
lavender February 16, 2010 10:54 PM
I think your list is interesting though i don't agree with all of
them. Very thought provoking.
Reply
Neil Barker February 20, 2010 2:58 AM
I think the possibilities for language learning are amazing
even nowadays compared to when I was a student. Just the
ability to have so much more control over what and when I
can study has truly opened up possibilities. I'm both a
language 'teacher' and a language learner. As for being a
'teacher', it may be my job title, but I think of myself more
as a coach/resource person than anything.
Reply
kintzinger March 7, 2010 4:02 PM
Hard to believe this can happen in a system that has resisted
change so successfull for so long; but I think it is out of the
hands of traditional educators. Just this morning, was reading
on weblogg­ed.com (On My Mind) reflecting on TEDxNYED
conference ... “'there is no opting out of new media' making
the point that we’re going to be living in a world of almost
ubiquitous networks, almost ubiquitous computing, almost
ubiquitous information at almost unlimited speed, about
almost everything, almost everywhere, from almost
anywhere, on almost all kinds of devices" ... this is a wave
that can't be stopped even by a resistant system as big as
education... learners (read students and parents) will simply
choose with their feet and take learning into their own hands,
making choices that will develop between now and then. If
schools and teachers don't change organically (and this will
be very difficult for many), they will become anachronistic,
serving only a minority of learners.
Reply
Roger March 8, 2010 11:24 AM
This is an interesting list. I cannot say for sure if it will all
come to pass, but I do believe that popular culture will be the
teachpaperless.blogspot.com/2009/12/21‑things‑that‑will‑become‑obsolete‑in.html
Paperless Friday change history
iPad music pixton PLN
TeachPaperless authentic learning
blogs cheating connections
foreign language guest blogging
internet access learning media
podcasts schools smartphones
wiki young teachers Educon 2.2
Google Wave Wi­Fi assessment
critical thinking educational
theory keynote math
obsolescence open source paper
waste parents plagiarism stimulus
Ed Open Mic International Iran MMOG
NECC 09 collaboration community
computers connectivity exams final
exams geeks ideas kids marketing
netbooks networking poetry readers
student reponse trust 21st century
22nd Century Skills Blogger Classroom
2.0 Google Docs SharePoint West Civ
Proj Wikipedia YouTube alumni apps
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reality autonomy classrooms college
admissions conferences core
knowledge cost of paper
crowdsourcing digital citizenship game
based learning grading essays online
laptops leadership links paper
paperless math printed books privacy
questions revolution snow days
standardized tests statistics steven
anderson student newspaper summer
thinking #IranElection 21st century
jobs 9/11 Adventures in Pencil
Integration Apple Baltimore
ClustrMaps Concerning Tech Dell Drills
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GT Google Apps Google Doc Google
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LearnCentral Learning Today Malcolm
Gladwell Mickey McManus NECC 2.0
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WoW Wordle administration android
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cell phones chat civil rights content
courseware creativity critical mass
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resources for students gifted global
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librarians lists math assessment
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6/6/12 TeachPaperless: 21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020
driving force for whatever happens. My favorite JFK quote
"The rising tide lifts all the boats.", says it all.
Reply
James March 9, 2010 3:25 AM
Nice Post !
Thanks for sharing this useful information about 21 thing
which are obsolete before 2020.
Great Work !
Toronto education
Reply
Jeffrey Tull May 12, 2010 8:07 AM
What is interesting is that the one thing that will NOT be gone
by 2020 is the digital divide. If anything, I expect the digital
divide to widen, especially between inner city and rural
schools as compared to affluent or suburban schools.
Education may be headed in the same direction as health
care; wonderful technology that most can't afford to use!
Reply
Bob (The Science Geek) May 18, 2010 6:13 PM
The 21st century classroom will not have walls, not unless
you count firewalls. Paperless is a fundamental shift toward
Problem Based (student centered) Learning, a true paradigm
shift in education. Gary Marx discusses some of this in his
“Sixteen Trends: Their Profound Impact on Our Future.” My
concern is that many of those teaching at the start of the
21st century, might be considered obsolete by their own
students. This makes what they are teaching obsolete,
whether it is or is not.
Reply
Anonymous June 23, 2010 2:04 PM
OMG ­ The one weak link in this person's position is that they
have no understanding of human nature.
1. No desks ­ until Jimmy cheats or copies off the others in
the group.
2. Language labs ­ People have been talking different
langauages for thousands of years. I suspect that won't end
any time soon.
3. Computers ­ size and location doesn't matter. Until they
can be hid inside a student's personal space.
4. Homework ­ Homework is for practice. AND kids lack the
self­discipline to do otherwise. That's why they are kids.
5. Portfolios ­ Should go hand in hand with standardized
tests. Do you think smart kids really fail these tests?
teachpaperless.blogspot.com/2009/12/21‑things‑that‑will‑become‑obsolete‑in.html
mentoring mobile Internet mobile
education motivation multimedia
multiple intelligences new technology
no excuses online identity online
resources organized paperless culture
paperless philosophy paradigm shift
participatory media performance
based assessment perspective postscreen
problems projects real time
search recession recommendation
letters resources road trip smartdesks
student project teacher education
tech camp thank you time
management transformation
transparency trees validation virtual
environment web resources website
#bloggermarch #edchat #generosityday
#latlang #occupy #ows #sosmarch #steconf
1983 1:1 2008 2009 21 Things That Will Be
Obsolete in Education by 2020 21cedgrad
AACE University Social Media Seminar Series
AVID AlumTweet Animoto Beyond the
Bubble Big Brother Bob C21 Calais Chat's on
Break China Christmas Chromebook Cinco de
Mayo Web 2.0 Glory Award Classical
Education Collaborate College Board
Computers for Schools Controlling the World
Converge Cover it Live Delphi Denver
Detroit Digital Harbor Doomed Pedagogical
Fad EPA EagleNet Easy Ed Tech grants
Edutopia Encarta EtherPad Federal
Government Finland Flocabulary Flock Free
Technology for Teachers GSA George
Washington Carver Gladwell Gmail Google
Books Google Earth Google Labs Google
Ocean Google Tablet Google Voice
Grassroots Green Green Schools Initiative
Halloween Happy New Year Henry Ford
Museum High Zero History Channel Howard
Rheingold IQ ISTEvision In 21 Words or Less
JG Ballard John Dewey John Hunter Johnson
Space Center Jonathan Winters K12
Conference KMLFactbook Ken Robinson LUMA
Latin Poetry Podcast Library of Congress
MAYA MP3 Madison_WI Map a List
Mathematica MoMA Monticello Moodle Mozilla
NASA NECC Unplugged NOVA NPR NY Times
National Archives National Science
Foundation New Internet New Tech New Year
Newsweek Nobel Obama Our Classroom
Outlook Oxford Debate P2P PBS TeacherLine
PDA keyboards Pakistan Pew Practically
Impossible Promethean QR code Quest
Atlantis Quietube Qwiki RPG Ravitch
RedStudio Reform Symposium SMART sync
Say It Here Schoology Scratch SenorG
Smart Mobs Social Tech and Education Social
Tech in Education Lesson Plan Wiki Socrates
Space Steve Katz Stream SynchronEyes TED
TPS TV Teach Autodidacticism ThinkSocial
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6. Tech and Differentiation ­ Technology alone does not
differentiate instruction ­ people do.
7. Wikipedia ­ What ever happened to research? Do you think
Harvard lets their students use Wikipedia. Get real.
8. Paperbacks ­ who is going to buy each kid an ipad?
9. Bio scan ­ just plain scary.
10. Lockers ­ Hello! Kids don't and many won't carry books.
Again, who is going to pay for the ipads?
12. Centralized schools ­ Are you kidding? Does anyone
understand the immaturity of teens AND many of their
parents?
I could go on and on...
Reply
Predictii Volei July 19, 2010 10:08 AM
Interesting article. good job
Reply
Canada flower shops July 21, 2010 7:04 AM
Your article is written very content, All of the projects look
great! you make it look so simple to make this purse that I'll
have to try it myself! Thanks!
Reply
Anonymous July 23, 2010 5:58 PM
Great list... I think you can see much of it moving in the
direction you mentioned!
Columbus DJ
Reply
Omaha Remodeling July 23, 2010 6:05 PM
Great insight... Although I'm not so sure about "paper"... we
were already supposed to be a "paperless" society!!!
Omaha Remodeling
Reply
Inspired Impact August 4, 2010 12:50 AM
Great list! Gave me lots to think about. See my comments in
my blog.
Reply
Anonymous August 27, 2010 1:14 PM
Pie in the sky.
teachpaperless.blogspot.com/2009/12/21‑things‑that‑will‑become‑obsolete‑in.html
This Web is Your Web Todays' Meet Toyota
Twitter Search Twitter lists US Students
Valentine's Day Van de Graff generator WAT
Warcraft Washington Convention Center
Washington D.C. Washington Post Watt We
Are Teachers Web 3.0 What are we preparing
them for? Who are We? Will Richardson
Willingham Wiziq Woody Guthrie World
Peace Game advisory aesthetics agism
allegory alt analog anger anonymous anti­
intellectualism authenticity backchannel
balsa towers banned blacksmith blogosphere
books online books that made me what I am
today brain brainwashing break breaking
news browsers buzz words cK­12 careers
class discussion class pages class work
college student comment moderation
compensation conflict of interest congress
consensus conservation conversation
cooperation correction cost crazy pedagogy
cross curricular dance data dead computer
debate decide democracy denial difference
differentiated instruction digital digital comic
strip digital flashcards digital portfolio
distance learning dropouts dynamic e­books
education policy education reform educator;s
network emailing in class epiphany extension
eyeglasses faculty meetings families
fantastic teaching feed food forensics future
of reading games generosity day geography
giftedness global education good stuff grad
school graduation great teachers hair hands­
on handwriting health high school rankings
high­stakes testing historical intructional
films history of technology home homebases
housing html hype cycle hyperlocal
iMarsupial iOS iPhone iPod Touch identity
innovation intellectualism interactive
international students issuu job market
knowing landlines legal letters lifelong
learner live blogging livescribe smartpen lll
location luddite maps measuring mentors
micro­messaging mission statement
monitoring software museum education
networked learning new beginnings new
readers newbs newspaper newspapers
newsreader non­exams non­profits nutrition
oceans old computers online online learning
online tests open open content open library
operating systems opinions ownership
paperless health paperless projects paperless
school passion patronage perception
personalized learning personalized mobile
networked 3­D projection photography
planning politics polls population portraits
post­paper predictability predicting the past
primary sources procedures productivity
progressive education project based learning
protests publishing race radio reading online
real teachers really long blog post titles
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Reply
Anonymous September 5, 2010 2:37 PM
My view is that were there political will, schools themselves
would become obsolete. The idea that 5 days a week most of
the year we bus children in to sit in a classroom learning
limited and identical material seems pointless and a gigantic
waste of money. Really the only need to centralize a learning
environment is if equipment is required, like some aspects of
science, shop, cooking, auto and physical education. On a
rotational learning basis (ie. all day courses over a period of
weeks rather than 1 hour over months), you could fit these
learning environments in much smaller spaces w/ fewer
employees. Learning from home with some localized physical
education requirement is more fiscally rational and because
of broadband internet and computer affordability has made it
a realistic option.
Reply
Mr. K September 25, 2010 5:01 PM
Ha! Not even half this list will make it by 2020.
1. Desks and Buildings are still going strong. At my high
school a third new structure (in the past 4 years) is relacing
another old one and will not be finished until 2012.
2. Language Labs may have Ipads or Kindles, but not
smartphones­ screen is too small! If projection screens come
out you may be right.
5. The number of AP and SAT Exams taken in the past
decade has exploded! and will continue to do so.
11. My county's IT Department just started coming together
over the past decade. They are finally getting close to
actually being an IT Department.
13. K­12 gone?? Now way! One hundred years of tradition
just out the window? It will remain strong just like 3 months
off in summer and the non­metric measuring system. All
American traditions.
16. Credits. See number 13 above.
17. Parent/Teacher Conferences. What teacher wants their
130­150 parents to have live web­cam access or live chat
with them???? Maybe if they start paying all teachers at least
$100,000 per year for the hours this would take. Long live
email.
18. Handhelds will never be able to control the cost of school
food, especially in the next 10 years.
20. American students taking (and passing) Alegbra by eighth
grade...hahahahahaha
Reply
Anonymous October 11, 2010 5:12 PM
Maybe the facade of our education system has not changed in
the past hundred years, school buildings and school day
schedule that is, but our attitudes toward the learning
process and curriculum have.
As educators, we understand more about how the brain
teachpaperless.blogspot.com/2009/12/21‑things‑that‑will‑become‑obsolete‑in.html
recycling reform relationships relevance
renaissance research resistance responsibility
ritual robot rock'n'roll role playing games
rubrics rural safety school clubs school
newspaper science scrolling security self
evident assessment semantic search setting
up sites skateboarding skillz snail mail social
studies socio­economic song speakers speech
and debate sponsors static student blog
student interviews student media success
summer projects summer vacation survey
syllabus synergy tablet tech problems
technologist technology camp term limits
testing tech literacy the bane of my
existence theory there is no such thing as an
iCheap things are changing thoughts time top
posts translation uJam ubiquity
understanding virtual virtual reality vision
voice­mail warts web weblogg­ed week one
welcome whale blubber widgets wireless
working active memory
Your friendly contributing
bloggers...
Steve Katz
Shelly Blake­Plock
SenorG
Shelly Terrell
concretekax
David Andrade
mshertz
Mr. Grzelak
John T. Spencer
andrewcoy
Steven Anderson
License and Disclaimer
Except where otherwise noted,
content on this site is licensed
under a Creative Commons
Attribution 3.0 License.
You may re­use this content
online for noncommercial
purposes without needing to ask
permission, as long as you credit
the source in writing as Teach
Paperless and on the web by
adding a link back to our web
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6/6/12 TeachPaperless: 21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020
develops and therefore how a student learns, we understand
and believe that there is such a thing as multiple
intelligences, hence the need to sometimes present a topic in
multiple ways, and that we learn as a community by
showing, talking, and hearing ourselves explain.
The role of the teacher in the classroom has already been
transformed since the days I sat facing the black board.
Findings in Cognitive Science will guide us in deciding what
will be obsolete for some students in the next decade.
Maybe summative assessments will not be important in 2020,
but education will still remain a "summative" achievement.
Ms. DK
Reply
Jason December 22, 2010 3:18 AM
It will teacher is going to new innovative world. I really
impress with this.......
Reply
Miguel Guhlin December 28, 2010 12:59 PM
A few thoughts here ­
http://www.mguhlin.org/2010/12/conversation­starter.html
Reply
Anonymous December 29, 2010 9:21 PM
#20: DONE!!! My school's normal is Algebra completed in the
8th
grade! Thanks for the list.
Reply
Anonymous January 8, 2011 8:57 PM
Interesting and plausible thoughts that nevertheless suffer
the same short­sightedness as everything else we are doing.
There is an energy and non­renewable resource crisis
looming just ahead. All these projects depend on the
continuation of our current rate of consumption which will
simply not be possible given today's realities. Digitisation is a
very resource­intensive endeavour.
Reply
Drew January 26, 2011 3:26 PM
10. Lockers.
A coat­check, maybe.
11. IT Departments
Cloud Computing
= eBackpack.com!
teachpaperless.blogspot.com/2009/12/21‑things‑that‑will‑become‑obsolete‑in.html
site, www.teachpaperless.com
And of course, everything on this
blog is the personal opinion of the
individual bloggers and does not
reflect the opinions of of anyone
else, including employers, in any
way. But that should be obvious
by now.
Photo Credit: MJ Wojewodzki; a
portion of a painted wall in the
Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii
[2006]
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Reply
Sitwithabook February 12, 2011 12:12 PM
I hope this goes with more nature.
Becoming unleashed from the desk and classroom, I hope
teacher­leaders send their kids outside in interact with
nature.
Just as important will be learning to unplug­­not because the
plug is bad, but focus and compartmentalization is very
important: when you're in, be in; when out, stay out.
Going from one limiting environment only to create your own
personal hell is not progress.
Reply
hecto February 18, 2011 11:50 PM
A good read. I like the sounds of most of them and it is
interesting to read the comments that people have posted.
The only one I query is the lockers. Students need a place to
store devices while at recess/lunch and so on. Maybe the
look of a traditional locker will change.
If every relied on what was happening and had been
happening in the past, we would still be living there. Thanks
for looking to the future.
Reply
schoolsobsolete February 23, 2011 9:25 PM
Desks and Language labs? Hum, the truth is that going to
school from 9 to 4, 5 days a week will become obsolete.
Listening to lecture at home, on device+broadband access
provided by commercial company. Going 3 times a week to a
workshop, for practicals.
Did I mention commercial companies. Most of the control on
education will slowly shift towards commercial companies.
Institutions like Ministry of education will slowly loose its
relevance due to its inability to adapt to change.
Reply
Michael LaRocca February 24, 2011 5:50 AM
I took 8th grade Algebra in 1976. It wasn't mandatory. I
chose it.
My brother took General Math in high school two years in a
row for the easy A's.
Student motivation matters.
Reply
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Melissa February 24, 2011 12:32 PM
Please inform:
What are the grounds for saying that the AP Exams are
practically obsolete? To what or whose research are you
referring? This is the sort of blanket statement that needs to
be clarified with actual data; otherwise you are propogating
an opinion that others could potentially use to inform actual
decisions they make regarding classes or teaching
professionals.
Reply
Shelly Blake­Plock February 24, 2011 12:55 PM
@Melissa
Great question.
So long as the summative assessment of the understanding
of content and context in AP courses is carried out by
standardized measures and anonymous readers on an exam
that lets arbiters of best­content to pick and choose specifics
from a vast sea of possibilities ­­ often seemingly not
designed to assess understanding, but more to increase the
Jeopardy­like difficulty of exams whose purpose in the eyes
of many students and parents is not to address learning, but
rather to save money on intro college course ­­ the AP Exam
will continue a slide into irrelevance.
Especially as colleges and universities raise a warying eye
towards the value of such exams.
It's striking to me that we ask teachers and students to do so
much work over the course of a year and we tell them that
authenticity counts and then we give them tests that have as
little to do with progressive, developmental, personalized
learning as could be possible.
My data is several years having taught four different AP
courses in three different disciplines and having realized the
Exam (along with many others) as the cat­and­mouse game
it is.
If AP wanted to get serious about the kind of learning that
propels students to reach authentic understanding, it would
extend the portfolio component of the AP Studio Art course to
all disciplines and encourage the evaluation and assessment
of project­based and personalized learning.
Otherwise, it's a bubble test with a few essays that'll be
graded by someone who has no idea whether you've learned,
developed, and grown.
Shelly
Reply
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Russell Callahan March 4, 2011 12:43 PM
Definitely some great ideas, but schools simply don't make
changes that fast. Case in point, some schools are still trying
to get phones in every classroom. Yes, phones. This is just
an example of how slow things can be.
Reply
Alleyoop March 14, 2011 3:44 PM
This definitely has us thinking. Great post, great list. Now the
question is, will these changes really occur so quickly? I
agree that the technology around the schools change rapidly,
but I'm not sure I believe the schools will adapt at the same
speed.
Another comment ­ I sure hope Algebra makes its way to
middle school. And for any students struggling with that
class, or math in general, Alleyoop is here to help! Alleyoop
provides online coaching in math to middle and high school
students. http://www.alleyoop.com
Reply
audrey March 18, 2011 5:53 AM
The biggest problem among many with your assessment is
that once education is a video delivered system (oh the
desks will still be there), the state can create a curriculum
that limits vision to a single narrative. To imagine that the
state would not do exactly that is naive in the extreme. The
world isn't available for everyone's success. Look around
you. It's a pyramid and in order to keep the largest portion of
the population in place, you need them to be compliant.
Young entrepreneurial teachers at the top of the food chain
are all about their contribution to education via zuckerberg
fueled start up fantasies and it's a whole new world
paradigms. But they aren't really paying attention to the
structure of the system or the lack of opportunity possible for
the largest mass of the population. It's a ponzi scheme. I
love technology, but it won't save us.
Reply
Mr. Robinson March 19, 2011 12:13 AM
I agree with Audrey that educational technologies can be
usurped by powers that seek to diminish public education for
reasons she mentions. For instance, I'm concerned about Bill
Gates' foray into education, pushing high tech methods and
blaming the problems on bad teachers. He's given a lot of
support to the www.khanacademy.org (which is pretty cool),
however, Bill Gates labels it the "future of education." That
is, students watching teaching videos on laptops. Then you
might only need a low paid education assistant to facilitate.
It's a new technology, but a century backwards in terms of
educational psychology, just one talking person drawing on a
blackboard (except in this case he uses some fancy colours).
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I like technology. I'm able to have a year­round paperless
classroom, but I fear that this exciting technology could be
used to serve the dark side.
Reply
Diego May 24, 2011 1:16 PM
Really interest entry!
Keep doing!
Reply
Get a Blog June 15, 2011 8:02 AM
No doubt, it,s so interested post, keep posting
Reply
clarkbeast June 16, 2011 11:55 AM
Was glad to see a couple of comments toward the bottom of
this string that brought up the dark underbelly of our growing
technology fetish . . . issues of sustainability and of our
student's accelerating separation from the environment.
Should we be concerned that the 21st Century Education
movement’s energetic embrace of technology will only
further push our students into the virtual world and
disconnect them from the real?
By 2020, we'll have realized without any more doubt or
debate just how damaging and shortsighted our neglect of
these issues we've been. Here's my prediction of something
that will become obsolete by 2020: schools and curricula that
(to steal a phrase from David Orr) "equip[s] people merely
to be more effective vandals of the earth."
http://clarkbeast.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/missing­thereal­forest­for­the­digital­trees/
Reply
harshini June 28, 2011 4:25 AM
The studying coach is very good and subject is very useful...
Studies
Reply
Anonymous July 25, 2011 5:30 PM
There are a lot of issues that I am glad were posted by
various readers. We have a tech committee at our school
that is considering the 5 year plan (let alone a 20 year plan)
on what our tech needs might be for our students, parents
and faculty. We are not a public school, and so get to move
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through bureaucracy faster. We will consider:
1. Digital Access for all: We have a mission to serve any
student no matter their economic background, and so can
avoid the digital divide for those who wish to attend our
school. But for the students of our country, this needs
attention.
2. Regarding our environment: we cannot make tech
absolute. It is natural resource dependent. The lights will go
out one day, then what? Not to mention the social injustices
and human rights violations due to the excavation of coltan,
which our cell phones cannot live without? 80% of the world's
known coltan supply is in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, which the UN says is subject to "highly organized and
systematic exploitation." (http://www.cellularnews.com/coltan/)
3.In addition, the social capital of our school community
cannot be underestimated: students are human beings
learning to be the best human beings they can be. This is
done through relationships with other human beings, not
computers.
While technology progresses at light speed, nature has taught
that most changes occur over time. Love the posts. Please
keep the conversation alive.
Reply
Vance Stevens August 22, 2011 2:59 AM
I have to admit I didn't read all 87 comments but I did do a
search :­) One more thing that will be obsolete: MEETINGS ­
what a waste of time (in their present configuration)
Reply
Anonymous September 8, 2011 2:25 PM
This article is analyzed on Transition Voice, only they say
that almost none of this will be possible because of the
connection between energy and everything else. Interesting
read: http://transitionvoice.com/2011/09/energy­literacy­isthe­education­we­need/#comment­2175
Reply
Anonymous September 8, 2011 2:26 PM
Ooops, meant to just link this from Transition Voice: Energy
Literacy is the Education We Need.
Reply
Anonymous November 23, 2011 4:02 AM
Thanks for your post
teachpaperless.blogspot.com/2009/12/21‑things‑that‑will‑become‑obsolete‑in.html
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Anthony Zheng Gao
Canon Powershot A495
Reply
Anonymous December 2, 2011 3:05 PM
Great list can't wait to see how much is true.
Reply
PierMG December 12, 2011 11:26 AM
By 2020, we'll have realized without any more doubt or
debate just how damaging and shortsighted our neglect of
these issues we've been. Here's my prediction of something
that will become obsolete by 2020: schools and curricula that
(to steal a phrase from David Orr) "equip[s] people merely
to be more effective vandals of the earth."
Cheers,
Pier,
far cry 3 complete review
Reply
near the seventh age March 7, 2012 8:49 PM
I am aware of all the above and have in varying degrees
used the lot or worked towards assuming the lot over the last
30 years of teaching ­ technology is for example taking up
more space in class and in my everyday.Ipad, iphone, PC
wireless, utube, and the rest are part of everyday life. So we
talk of students learning differently, but whilst we have the
present education system nothing will happen. Practically,
when I am teaching 8 out of 9 periods a day, teaching level
8/9/10/11/12 high school students, seeing students at
lunchtime and during the morning break, during which time I
may also be constructing new and innovative ways of
delivering tomorrows lesson through the available new
teaching platforms, running debating after school and during
the season (two terms) out twice a week at night till 9 or 10
pm, running after school extension classes on a Thursday
afternoon, keeping up with ongoing pedagogical issues, at
present at PhD level, (god I love that word pedagogy, when
someone says it it begin to look closely at the speaker, it
covers so many bases and one may say evils). It all means
that a Friday night is longed for and my Sundays are marking
days, which may the good lord help me, I also look forward
to as I cannot possibly get it done during the week. There is
not a job like it and I enjoy my students work and teaching.
However, throwing lists at me and my fellow journeymen and
women is worse than useless ­ and again, may the creator
help me, I am writing this as I mark student papers. We are
on the cusp of a new era, we cannot create this new world
with the same tools that were in existence when the old
world came into existence (about two years ago) May the
force be with us. But for goodness sake let's get real.
Reply
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Anonymous March 17, 2012 10:00 AM
I teach Tech to 6th graders. While I love tech and all it has to
offer, the kids don't know how to use it, they don't even
know what a search engine is or a web browser. These are
kids who have smart phones, text, have their own ipads and
computers, and come from middle class and wealthy
families. We're fooling ourselves if we think this is a tech
savvy generation, all they know is tech, but they are missing
a ton of general learning skills and knowledge. Kids don't
even know how to socialize and bullying has increased
exponentially. Tech is good, but too much of a good thing has
bitter consequences. The author of this post is missing real
world experience and spouting off things they wish to see
rather than the reality that we have a problem with education
today that Tech won't be able to fix. Also, we make no
reference to schools and to students who can't afford these
things ... the gap will only widen between the poor and the
well to do ... thanks a lot.
Reply
Anonymous March 17, 2012 11:58 AM
Wow, that is some of the most worthless opining I've ever
read. I'm curious what middle school or high school students
Mr. Blake­Plock works with on a daily basis?
Reply
Patrick Otundo March 18, 2012 6:19 AM
Great list of things that might just turn out to be true!
Reply
Anonymous March 19, 2012 10:38 AM
...And cars will hover in 2010 to save rubber consumption.
BTW I'm in the IT Dept. and yes we will become obsolete.
Pay in our field is pathetic at best. Next time your iPad
breaks, try and find someone in your IT Dept. to take it
apart. Disposable computing is the new norm and much more
sufficient. Completely agree with the above poster as many
of our pc's in our system are around 10 years old. Agree with
all the REALISTIC posters on here, list is nothing more than
"just for fun" with the exception of a few of the standardized
testing items that are already on the verge of decimation and
proven unworthy
Reply
Shelly Blake­Plock March 19, 2012 10:51 AM
@Anonymous from Mar 17 ­­ This post was written back in
2009; at the time I was in my seventh year of full­time
classroom teaching. I was at a Catholic high school in
northern Maryland where our 1:1 initiative had begun around
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E
n
t
e
r
2004. I am currently co­directing a program to bring tech and
innovation to public school students in Baltimore City.
Reply
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Will Montgomery April 3, 2012 9:00 AM
I work for a very small organization that tries to be very
selective regarding the young college grads that we hire. I
graduated from high school in 1985. How can it be that I am
significantly better educated than, not only most of the young
people that apply, but most of the ones that we actually hire
(i.e., the best that we can find)? It seems to me that this is
the issue that matters. We need to start with addressing how
to educate people well, and then we can consider what that
would mean in terms of the evolution of schools as we know
them today. Otherwise, we will simply perpetuate what we
apparently have already been doing ­­ abdicating our
responsibility to facilitate the development of young minds.
According to my (admittedly subjective) observations, the
diminishing quality of education seems to correlate with the
encroachment of technology into the classroom. Until such
technology can be scientifically established to facilitate
cognitive (or moral, or emotional) development, it'll just be
another shiny gizmo that well­meaning people will throw at a
complex problem that they don't know how to address. A
couple of final notes:
1) I realized as a senior in high school that I wasn't learning
from the teacher, I was learning from the textbook. That was
the most important single lesson that I ever learned. So after
that I didn't really need the teacher or the school, but
experience suggests that not everyone learns that way.
2) I use a lot of scratch paper at work while working on
problems. It's the contemporary analog (in my milieu) for
doing homework. I believe that, far from declaring that rough
notation (on paper) and homework are obsolete, rather they
should be stressed as key parts of the learning process.
Otherwise we will continue to promote doing (clicking here,
seeing this, experiencing that) over actual thinking.
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