The Classroom of the Future

In some ways, the classroom of the future can be scary to contemplate. While online learning and distance learning would be beneficial, I worry about the lack of actual human interaction. When I asked my 13 year-old son what he thought the classroom of the future would be like, his response was that students would be taught by robots, or online teachers, in the comfort of their own homes, isolated from one another. I hope this is not the case. Students learn from one another and benefit from working together on problems. My vision of the classroom of the future will still maintain the traditional school building where students congregate to learn each day. Human beings are social animals and living in isolation- even if connected by the Web- would be a detriment. We need to view technology as a tool, not a replacement for people.

I see the future of learning as a daily multimedia event where students come to school to work with one another to discover the world using technology tools. The teacher acts more as a facilitator, presenting real world problems to the kids that the students must solve by working together. Constructivist learning will be more prevalent as students work together to build understanding. With technology shrinking the world, I see more interaction on a world-wide basis which promotes the need for students to understand one another. I see an emphasis on learning about different cultures, races, and religions so that students from different parts of the world can learn to work with one another. Students will be able to "attend" classes in other parts of the world and collaborate with students in other parts of the world. I see technology as a supplement to help students learn through use of hypermedia but not as a replacement for daily human interaction.