Adaptable Learners Will Own the Future

When I was kid, my Grandpa Geurin bought me a pony. I know that sounds like the type of gift a spoiled rich kid might get. But we were definitely not rich. Grandpa owned a small farm in West Kentucky where he and my grandma worked tirelessly to make a living. And just a few miles from the family farm was Kenlake State Park. They were auctioning off some surplus items, and the pony happened to be one of the items they were selling. 

We named the pony Snowball for obvious reasons (see pic below). But Snowball had some bad habits. The reason the state park had her to begin with was because she was part of the pony rides. Any time she had a saddle and a rider, she was conditioned to walk in circles. She knew how to do her job very well. Simply walk in a circle all day long. I guess you could say she was literally a "one trick pony." No doubt my grandpa got a great deal on this majestic steed!

Dad, little sister, and me with Snowball. We look thrilled don't we!

Snowball didn't respond well being led in a straight line, and she certainly wasn't used to having a rider take the reins. One time when I was in the saddle, a loud truck drove by and she was startled. As I remember it, she reared up and bucked me right off. In my imagination, I was certain I could hang on like the Lone Ranger. In reality, even this little pony was more than I could handle.

As I was reflecting on Snowball's limitations, I thought about how the world is changing for our students. In the past, it was possible to learn a skill or trade and remain in the same career for a lifetime. Those opportunities have mostly disappeared. Even more of these jobs will be gone in the coming years. It's not possible to be a "one-trick pony" anymore. Snowball was able to do one thing well, and that was all she needed to do.

Of students entering primary schools today, 65% will someday work in jobs that don't yet exist. That is staggering to contemplate. We can't even begin to imagine what they will need. To further explore this likelihood, you can even use this handy calculator to find out the chance your job could be automated in coming years.

In today's world, information is abundant and automation is accelerating. To possess a variety of skills that cross a multitude of disciplines is critical for success. Things are changing so quickly that it is impossible to keep up. And that is why, adaptable learners will own the future.

Author and thought leader A.J. Juliani created the visual below. It illustrates the idea that we cannot predict with certainty all of the skills our students will need. Preparing students for a test, or college, or even a trade isn't enough to be future ready.

Even though the job market has improved slightly for college grads in the last couple of years, 1 in 5 college graduates will find themselves unemployed or underemployed—working in low wage fields that don't require a degree.

That is why we must develop skills that are transferable to unknown situations. To quote Alvin Toffler, the ultimate 21st Century skill is the ability to "learn, unlearn, and relearn." It is a tremendous advantage to be creative, innovative, and adaptable. I listed 15 skills students need to be future ready in a previous post.

Question: How should educators be changing to help students develop the skills of adaptable learners? What can we do differently? I want to hear from you. Leave a comment below or respond on or .

Technology PD with the Digital Decathlon

This themed activity would have been the perfect professional learning event to implement during the recent Olympic games. We actually did it just a couple of weeks ago with a group of our teachers. If you find it useful, you could use it now or wait until 2020 when the next summer Olympics will happen in Tokyo. 

The Digital Decathlon is a self-directed learning activity to help teachers sharpen their tech skills. We built this thing from scratch and think you could probably make it even better. Feel free to use what we've created or adapt it to fit your needs.

Several teachers in our building contributed to the final product. I will give them a personal "shout out" a little later in the post.

Here are the basic rules:

-Work in pairs or small groups to accomplish the tasks.

-Choose 10 'events' to complete the Decathlon. We had 15 challenges to choose from.

-Create a visual representation of each challenge to include in a Google Slides presentation. Since we pushed this out as an assignment on Google Classroom, every teacher automatically had a copy of the Slides presentation to work with.

We allowed a couple of hours to complete the activities, and we had a couple of our most tech savvy teachers on hand to provide support as it was needed. 

We felt this was a better way to learn than simply having someone do a step-by-step training on a particular topic. There are more choices in this approach, so it has the potential to meet more needs. And it relies on an inquiry-based approach. Learners have to point and click and figure some things out on their own. 

It's been my experience that people who learn tech most effectively are willing to take risks and just try different things to solve problems and figure out the tool. This activity encourages this type of learning.

If you decide to do something like this with your team, it's a good idea to spend some time on the front end explaining the process and maybe even modeling one of the tasks. At the end, have a time of sharing and reflecting on what was learned.

Thanks to Gina Green (@BHSBizDept), Ashley Clift (@MRS_CLIFT), Tania Driskill (@TaniaDriskill), and Ashley DeVore (@AshleyDeVoreFCS) for contributing to the tech challenges included in the Digital Decathlon. These teachers are some of our tech mavens at Bolivar High School.

Question: What ideas do you have for creating your own Digital Decathlon? How could this be even better? I want to hear from you. Share a comment below or respond on or .

Five Critical #EdTech Conversations For Your School

Developing a shared vision for technology in your school should include lots of conversations. These conversations should occur among teachers, students, parents, and other stakeholders. It's important to think through the pros and cons of technology use and how technology can play an valuable role in learning.

Sometimes I think people hold ideas about technology that only consider one side of the issue. Forward thinking educators and parents want to race ahead with technology implementation without considering some of the drawbacks.

On the other hand, status quo defenders quickly point out the drawbacks of technology use in the classroom without considering how important technology will be to student success in a rapidly changing world. 

To bridge the divide, we need to have more honest conversations and seek to understand the various issues. Whichever way we lean, we need to consider various perspectives and use good thinking to arrive at common ground.

Here are 5 conversations to have about education technology in your classroom or school.

1. Why is technology use important?

Even if you don't really like the prominent role of technology in our society, it is indisputable that more and more opportunities are tied to the effective use of technology for learning and productivity. In our modern world, digital technology is how stuff gets done. And clearly the internet is not going away. And mobile technology is not just a fad. 

So if we are going to truly prepare students for their future, we must include technology as an essential part of the learning process. Technology needs to be implemented in authentic ways that reflect the way it is used by people across a wide variety of professions. 

We should also invite students to use their imaginations to consider how technology might be used in the future. Opportunities for innovation abound. The ability to adapt and create might allow students to 'create' a job for themselves even when the traditional way of 'finding' a job might prove more difficult. All the rules are changing.

2. What are things technology won't do for your classroom or school?

Technology should not be viewed as something that will automatically result in better learning for students. In fact, technology can actually hurt learning if it is not implemented properly. It's important to start with a strong learning culture and a teacher who inspires and guides learning. Effective technology use requires effective leadership.

So let's talk openly about the limitations of technology. 

• Adding technology won't make a poor lesson suddenly great.
• It won't fix a learning culture that is sluggish or disengaged.
• It won't necessarily result in higher standardized test scores.
• Technology isn't appropriate for every learning task.
• Technology can be a distraction. 
• It can also bring new concerns for student wellness and safety.
• 
  

Adding technology to lessons doesn't make them great lessons. #edchat #edtech #sunchat pic.twitter.com/iKWUYTfOGr

— David Geurin (@DavidGeurin) September 25, 2016

3. How can we overcome challenges that come with technology use?

Too many educators focus on the drawbacks or challenges to technology use and never even consider how these obstacles can be overcome. There are significant challenges when using technology for learning. However, there are plenty of schools that are doing a great job of addressing and overcoming every one of the challenges. But it takes a concerted effort to address these concerns.

• Educators must model safe and appropriate use of technology.
• Schools must teach digital citizenship and activate students as digital leaders.
• Schools must support professional learning for teachers on technology use.
• Effective pedagogy must be prioritized over using technology for the sake of technology.
• Schools must develop strong relationships with students, parents, etc. so that there is a cooperative effort to make technology work for learning. 

4. What are the most valuable ways we can use technology for learning?

Not all uses of technology are created equal. Some ways of using technology are more valuable than others. We need to use technology in ways that are high leverage for learning. 

When used effectively, technology can be powerful. In fact, it can transform learning. In an earlier post I listed 7 Ways Technology Transforms Learning. Most importantly, technology can empower learning. It can give learners greater voice, more opportunities, and provide the platform to create new knowledge in a very personal and customized way.

Some ways of using technology are not as effective for learning. They don't result in greater student agency, deeper thinking, or more opportunities to connect with others.

• Drill and kill on a device is still low leverage.
• Activities that are simply "busy work" are still mindless even on a device.
• Test prep programs are not my idea of authentic technology use.
• Worksheets are not more engaging just because they are pushed out on a device.

Effective learning with technology should involve students in making decisions about their learning. There should be opportunities for students to make learning choices about time, place, path, or pace. 

5. How are you growing in your use of technology as an educator?

One of the most important parts of successful use of technology in schools is that educators are growing in their use of technology, too. It's critical for leaders to model learning with digital tools. In fact, anyone who wants to be a leader needs to be a digital leader, too. It's not something reserved for the technology department or techie teachers only. Everyone needs to model learning in this area.

I think some teachers still think technology is reserved for students who are going into IT or some other computer related field. But that's just not the case. Nearly every profession will be impacted by technology advances. Moreover, every person needs skills for how to use technology for learning and creating. It's not about knowing specific tech tools. It's about knowing how to be an effective learner in a modern digital world. Using the tools just flows from the needs of being a learner.

Everyone is at a different place on their personal learning journey. Educators should understand and embrace this. Not every teacher has to be at a certain level. But the point is to continuously grow. Keep learning and taking risks with technology. Always.

Question: How are these technology conversations going for you? What other conversations should educators be having related to technology? I want to hear from you. Leave a comment below or respond on or .