The first thing I came across in my Google Reader today was a video titled "No Future Left Behind", which features a group of middle school students asked to comment about education and their futures. Really what struck me most about the video is that it was written, created, and performed by KIDS. The video was created as the keynote for the Net Generation Education Project. They did an awesome job of expressing what the future means to them and challenging teachers to step up and meet their educational needs through technology.
I also ran across an article titled "Are Traditional Textbooks Dead?" about the approaching shift from traditional books to online books. I found it interesting because it pointed out some things I had not thought of before when considering computer-based textbooks. For example, the blog pointed out that online textbooks would allow textbook companies to continually update information and monitor accuracy while providing more opportunities for interaction between author, teachers, and students. Authors of textbooks would no longer write and move on to other projects; but instead continue to monitor/update/and interact with their writing as well as readers. Many classrooms have already put away their textbooks and are using resources like Curriki to obtain information. For me one of the most valid points made in this blog was that there is still a place and need for textbook companies, but they have to focus on the importance of content and be willing to evolve from paper books to online resources. However, there will still be a great need for these companies to tackle challenges and help create sources teachers and students can trust for creditable information.
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I found your comments on textbooks to be interesting. A friend of mine works in Grand Prairie, TX. She will be working in a new high school that they have for career and technology students. The campus is completely paperless. They don't even have a copy machine! She teaches math and was telling me that everything they do will be online. The students will even turn their work in via the internet. I don't know about their textbooks, but I have a feeling they will be getting rid of those too. Thanks for sharing this article.
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