Education Nation E-Book

Milton Chen

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 440

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Beschreibung

An educational innovator who worked at Sesame Workshop and The George Lucas Educational Foundation offers a new vision for learning As a result of constant innovation, learning is no longer limited by traditional confines and we're moving beyond students tied to their chairs, desks, and textbooks-and teachers locked away in classrooms. In Education Nation author Milton Chen draws from extensive experience in media-from his work on Sesame Street in its nascent years to his role as executive director of the George Lucas Educational Foundation-to support a vision for a new world of learning. This book, in six chapters, explores the "edges" in education--the places where K-12 learning has already seen revolutionary changes through innovative reform and the use of technology. * Examines ways in which learning can be revolutionized through innovative reform and the use of technology * Explores the ever-expanding world of technology for breakthroughs in teaching and learning * Includes many wonderful resources to support innovation in schools across the nation This important book offers a clear vision for tomorrow's classrooms that will enhance learning opportunities for all children.

Leseprobe

Praise for EDUCATION NATION

“I strongly believe that education is the single most important job of the human race. I'm very excited that Education Nation is adding to the tools we are giving educators and many others to make change in their own communities.”

—George Lucas, founder and chairman, The George Lucas Educational Foundation (from the Foreword)

“This book provides an outstanding overview of where we stand in the history of learning technologies, what current initiatives are most promising, and what challenges and opportunities we face in the near future.”

—Christopher Dede, Timothy E. Wirth Professor in Learning Technologies, Harvard Graduate School of Education

“How fortunate we are that Milton Chen has decided to share the lessons he has learned along the way on his incredible learning journey. As we just begin to unlock the methods of teaching our kids in a 21st Century context, this book should be embraced by every caring educator and parent who wants to do right by our kids.”

—Gary E. Knell, president and CEO, Sesame Workshop

“Milton Chen is a visionary and global leader in education. Emphasizing creativity, technology-enabled learning, project-based intellectual adventures and social/emotional intelligences, Education Nation encompasses the well-being of the whole child and the major shift to student-centered learning. Chen is a masterful storyteller and collaborator. His ideals continue to inspire and push our own boundaries to do what is right to help kids—and to never give up.”

—Susan Patrick, president and CEO, International Association for K–12 Online Learning (iNACOL)

“Milton Chen has had an extraordinary perch for learning how media and technology can spark innovation and redefine teaching and learning. Education Nation provides a new vision of what is now possible, with vivid examples from real schools.”

—Linda Darling-Hammond, Charles E. Ducommun Professor, Stanford University and codirector of the School Redesign Network

“This is a great book, Milton Chen is truly a gifted writer who has a unique ability to illustrate in words what the rest of us can only imagine. I found myself “seeing” in my mind what was written on the page. His writing is inspirational and leads us to see that there is no better time than now for creating a New Day for Learning.”

—Dr. An-Me Chung, program officer, C. S. Mott Foundation

Published With Support From

The George Lucas Educational Foundation

The George Lucas Educational Foundation, founded in 1991, is a nonprofit operating foundation committed to providing tools, resources, and inspiration about what works in public education. Through Edutopia, its mission is to empower and support education reform by shining a spotlight on innovative and successful learning environments. Edutopia embraces six core concepts of project-based learning, comprehensive assessment, integrated studies, social and emotional learning, teacher development, and technology integration. To find and share solutions, visit Edutopia.org.

Copyright © 2010 by The George Lucas Educational Foundation. All rights reserved.

Published by Jossey-Bass

A Wiley Imprint

989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741—www.josseybass.com

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax [phone], or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax [phone], or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Readers should be aware that Internet Web sites offered as citations and/or sources for further information may have changed or disappeared between the time this was written and when it is read.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

Jossey-Bass books and products are available through most bookstores. To contact Jossey-Bass directly call our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 800-956-7739, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3986, or fax [phone].

Jossey-Bass also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Chen, Milton.

Education nation: six leading edges of innovation in our schools/Milton Chen; foreword by George Lucas.

p. cm.–(Jossey-Bass teacher)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-470-61506-5 (hardback); ISBN 978-1-118-15740-4 (paperback);

ISBN 978-0-470-87543-8 (ebk); ISBN 978-0-470-87544-5 (ebk);

ISBN 978-0-470-87545-2 (ebk)

1. School improvement programs–United States. 2. Educational innovations–United States. 3. Educational technology–United States. I. Title.

LB2822.82.C434 2010

371.2'090973–dc22

2010011067

Photo Credits

The Photos in chapter 4:

Students at Philadelphia's Academy of Applied Automotive and Mechanical Science, Joseph Pak, Samantha Wright, and Leah Exum (left to right), discuss the placement of the K-1 Attack's front axle and electric motor, copyright © Nathan Kirkman

Jeffrey Daniels cuts metal for the award-winning K-1 Attack's drive system, copyright © Klaus Schoenwiese

Teacher Simon Hauger seated in the K-1 Attack with his West Philly EVX team, copyright © Klaus Schoenwiese

High school students in Philadelphia's award-winning West Philly EVX team don't just drive hybrid cars. They build them to use fuel from soybeans, get 55 miles per gallon, and look cool., copyright © Klaus Schoenwiese

In Oakland, California, MetWest High School student Paula Pereira works twice a week at the Broadway Pet Hospital, integrating workplace experience with her project-based classes., copyright © Klaus Schoenwiese

At chef Alice Waters's Edible Schoolyard project in Berkeley, California, students at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School grow and cook their own food, a complete “seed-to-table experience.”, copyright © Bart Nagel

From the Afterword: A Day in the Life of Young Learner: Students in a San Francisco classroom in the year 2020 hold a live videoconference with a National Park Ranger (foreground) while others discuss time-lapse video of lava flows from Mount Kilauea, (drawing) courtesy of Greg Knight

At home in the evening, Malia converses with Xiaoyan in China, who helps her learn Chinese vocabulary for soccer. She records her speaking and plays it back to improve her pronunciation., (drawing) courtesy of Greg Knight

All other images are copyright © 2010 Edutopia.org. The George Lucas Educational Foundation. All rights reserved.

Acknowledgments

Much of this book is my effort to “curate” my favorite stories in recent years from the Edutopia.org Web site, my “best of” collection from Edutopia's amazing wealth of resources documenting innovation in schools. My first debt of appreciation goes to the many talented colleagues at The George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF) who produced the inspiring content on Edutopia.org and in our Edutopia magazine. The editorial and Web production work has been led by David Markus and Jim Daly as editorial directors; Ken Ellis, executive producer for documentaries; Cal Joy, director of Web development; and Cindy Johanson, our new executive director. As a foundation founded by a filmmaker, GLEF's distinctive work is in making documentary films to capture what innovation looks like in the classroom. The films are supported with explanatory articles, interviews, and resources. Many of the examples I describe in this book are linked to those films and are best understood by seeing the teachers and students in action.

I also express my gratitude to the board of directors at The George Lucas Educational Foundation—George Lucas, Steve Arnold, Micheline Chau, Kim Meredith, Kate Nyegaard, and Marshall Turner—who provided a unique organization and resources for us to do this creative work. I thank them for providing me with the time to reflect on our body of work and to write this book.

I also thank Amy Borovoy, Laurie Chu, and Sharon Murotsune from the Edutopia staff for their help in assembling the images published here. For more than three years, Sharon served as my executive assistant, coordinating the communications and travel that enabled me to visit a number of the schools and projects profiled and talk to their pioneering educators. A talented artist at LucasArts, Greg Knight, did the illustrations for the Visions 2020 piece (see Edge Four). I also thank my colleagues from the Fulbright New Century Scholars program, who broadened my horizons to understand that the issues of improving schools in the United States are shared globally.

A number of valued colleagues read portions of the manuscript and provided many insightful comments to improve it: Christopher Dede of Harvard Graduate School of Education, Ted Hasselbring of Vanderbilt University, and Susan Patrick of iNACOL, all members of GLEF's National Advisory Council; Steve Arnold of the GLEF board; John Bransford and Susan Mosborg of the University of Washington; Pedro Hernández-Ramos of Santa Clara University; Kevin Kelly of San Francisco State University; Chris Livaccari of the Asia Society; Joe Morelock of Oregon's Canby School District; and Kathy Shirley of the Escondido School District in California. Any errors of fact are solely my own.

This is the third book I've worked on with the publishing team at Jossey-Bass, who again demonstrated their expertise and professionalism. Kate Gagnon, associate editor; Justin Frahm, production editor; Dimi Berkner, marketing director; and Lesley Iura, publisher, have all been a pleasure to work with. From the design of the book to its organization and selection of images, we started out with good ideas and our collaboration made them better, practicing a twenty-first-century skill we want students to develop.

My wife, Ruth Cox, has always been my first and most honest reader. Working in the academic technology group at San Francisco State University, she's an expert on technology use in higher education. This year, we celebrate our silver anniversary together. Through these twenty-five years, she has been an actress, lecturer in psychology, and mother to our daughter, Maggie, who is now embarking on her own career. We also share the same birthday, a statistical miracle signifying that it was all meant to be. As a teacher, parent, and partner, she knows how to put “the edge” into education and life. I lovingly dedicate this book to her.

Foreword

I didn't enjoy school very much. Occasionally, I had a teacher who would inspire me. But as an adult, as I began working with computer technology to tell stories through film, I began to wonder, “Why couldn't we use these new technologies to help improve the educational process?”

Twenty years ago, when we started our foundation, we could see that digital technology was going to completely revolutionize the educational system, whether it liked it or not. Technology is a virus that is changing education, just as it has changed nearly every industry, including my own in filmmaking and entertainment. Twenty years from now, when every student has his or her own computer, educational systems will be using technology in much more powerful and pervasive ways. When knowledge is changing so rapidly, it doesn't make sense to spend $150 on textbooks that students only use for fifteen weeks. From the beginning, we wanted our foundation to show how to best use these new technologies.

The Goal of Education: Using Information Well

When we first started out, we asked, “What are the most important things students should learn?” Our answer focuses on three uses of information: we want students to know how to find information, how to assess the quality of information, and how to creatively and effectively use information to accomplish a goal. When I was a student, information was contained in the encyclopedia, a reputable source. But fifty years later, when information is on someone's Web site, it's not clear whether it's reputable or true. So, from among many sources, students need to assess for themselves which information is most factual and useful.

Then, students need to take that information, digest it, and do something creative with it, whether it's designing a multimedia presentation or a rocket to the moon. Instead of just asking students to spit information back, schools should be asking them, “What can you create with the information you've found?”

Social-emotional learning also becomes very important. In today's world, it is not enough to know how to use information well. Students also have to learn how to cooperate, to lead, and to work well with different types of people. These skills are keys to being successful in a career and to having a civilized society. Students need to learn how to become wise human beings, emotionally and intellectually.

Teachers as Coaches and Wise Elders

Teachers play critical roles in connecting the social-emotional and intellectual realms. They become students' guides, coaches, and “wise elders.” When technology is employed, teachers are freed from standing in front of the class and presenting information. We've got Google for that. Now, they can spend more time developing deeper personal relationships with students. They can pat students on the back, call them by name, and encourage them to work harder. Like Plato or Aristotle, they can inquire, “Why do you think that's true?” These are things no computer will ever do well. In my experience, there's nothing more potent in education than a teacher who truly cares about you.

The Youth Are Building the Path

Changing education is a long-term challenge and takes generations. The next generation of youth is going to accept this change completely. They have taken over technology and run with it while schools are trying to catch up. On Facebook, students are talking to Russian and Chinese kids, comparing notes, and collaborating on projects. They know there's a real world out there that adults know little about. They are realizing, “My little cocoon isn't my little cocoon anymore.”

Today's youth are building a pathway to change education. I see the difference in my own daughters, who are thirty and twenty-one. They speak different languages and think differently from each other. My younger daughter's generation lives in the Internet world and is tied into a different reality than my older daughter and me. We still like to look up the movie schedules in the paper!

The Future of Technology

The potential of digital technology is vast. We have barely tapped into it. Eventually, there will be a new delivery system for instructional materials, with all the relevant and best-quality textbooks, curricula, documentaries, and faculty presentations. It will be broken down into specific categories so students and teachers can search topics very quickly. It will include the vast repositories of places like the Library of Congress, the Louvre, and our best universities. And it will be safe for students, teachers, and parents.

Schools will benefit from advances in simulation technology, making it more affordable. In universities, medical students use digital cadavers to simulate the human body. Eventually, high school students will have a simpler version to learn human anatomy and physiology. School versions of high-end computer-aided design programs will enable students to build a house on a Florida beach and see if it could withstand a Category 5 hurricane. After studying the geology, engineering, and science, there's nothing better than being able to push the button and see what happens. Nothing would get students' attention more than that!

Edutopia's Role

At Edutopia, our job is to produce and disseminate information about the most innovative learning environments, addressing core concepts of project-based learning, cooperative learning, technology integration, comprehensive assessment, and teacher development for implementing these practices. When we first started, we quickly learned about fantastic schools, teachers, and situations where student learning is off the charts. But they're not well known and therefore not replicated.

Today, there's a growing consensus that technology and new practices can help students learn faster and enjoy learning. We want Edutopia.org to be the place where educators can find out about these practices and put them to work. Our “Schools That Work” online features provide detailed information to help the broad audience needed to change schools, from state capitols and universities to schools and Main Street, where parents urgently want a better future for their children.

In the past few years, Edutopia has seen rapid growth in the numbers of exemplary schools and creative learning settings. Dr. Milton Chen, who led our foundation for twelve years as executive director and continues as senior fellow, has had a unique vantage point for following these trends in innovation. In Education Nation, he has done a fantastic job acting as Edutopia's curator, assembling this exhibition from the large collection of stories from our Web site and other sources. His unique and personal perspective, dating back to his years at Sesame Workshop, provides the narrative weaving these stories together, with Web links to resources and films showing engaged students and effective teachers in action. As one educator said about Edutopia, this book can be a valuable “idea factory” for creating twenty-first-century schools.

I strongly believe that education is the single most important job of the human race. I'm very excited that Education Nation is adding to the tools we are giving educators and many others to make change in their own communities.

George Lucas

Founder and Chairman,

The George Lucas Educational Foundation

Preface My Learning Journey

From the Longest Street in the World to a Galaxy Long Ago and Far, Far Away

I've always been fascinated by the ability of children to learn in creative, powerful, accelerated, and joyful ways. This fascination started for me as a teenager and has carried me over a thirty-five-year career devoted to designing, researching, and advocating for educational media and technology. Like the MIT Media Lab's Seymour Papert, I've always believed that these tools, especially in the guiding hands of teachers and parents, could serve as “wheels for the mind.”

My own personal odyssey has led me from working at Sesame Workshop in New York City to KQED, the PBS station in San Francisco, and the past twelve years as executive director of The George Lucas Educational Foundation in the San Francisco Bay Area. Looking back, I appreciate that it's been a unique journey and a fortunate one. Thanks to the numerous versions of Sesame Street now shown in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and Asia, I sometimes say my career has taken me from the longest street in the world to a galaxy long ago and far, far away. I begin by sharing my “learning journey,” since it frames and colors my views of where education is and where it needs to be as we end the first decade of the twenty-first century.

My journey began on the south side of Chicago, where I spent my childhood. To this day, living in San Francisco, many people are surprised to hear that's where I grew up, since, in fact, there were not many Asian families in the Midwest. Just after World War II, in 1945, my father, Wen-Lan, came with a group of mining engineers to study coal mines in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. He stayed on for graduate school at Penn State and was joined by my mother, Shu-Min, a music student, in 1949. Although they had married in 1945, they were separated for the first four years of their marriage.