As a thoughtful and reflective exercise, and as a sort of fun activity, I thought I’d solicit predictions from readers for the coming year.
What are your education-related predictions for 2011?
Share one-to-three predictions (you can make them whimsical or serious, though I’d appreciate your explicitly labeling which ones are which) in the comments section by January 2nd, and I’ll publish them on January 3rd, when many of us are returning to school. It could help us all get restarted with some uplifting thoughts, or energize us to work to do what we can to make some of the predictions not come true.
I’ll be sharing a few of my own, then, too…..
And if some of you wonder what the point is in making predictions, you can go to The New York Times which, today, published a piece on Why Do We Need Predictions?
My predictions:
1. M-learning will make significant inroads into academics.
2. Rise of ebook readers over traditional textbooks.
3. A user-friendly, open source whiteboard from Google (?!?!?)
–More states will require all teachers to have some training to work with English-language learners.
–More charter schools and regular public schools will cooperate on issues such as sharing buildings and professional development.
–More states or school districts will provide bonuses for teachers who have proven to be effective to work in low-performing schools.
It is a non-election year – Test scores will decline throughout the country.
More schools (not enough for critical mass) will allow student-owned technology on their networks. Issues of student privacy on school networks will become a talking point.
Enjoying the predictions! It would be fun to revisit these as 2011 ends to see if the predictions came to pass and assess their effect on teaching and learning. 🙂
MAMather for TercUsingData
Excellence in global practices will be explored and the conversation will begin about implementing them in the United States. (just sayin!)
1. open educational resources — more schools will embrace open content
2. mobile learning — folks are predicting 2011 will be the year of the tablet (errrr, iPad). i would add to this, an increasing acceptance of cellphones in the classroom
3. data analysis — “big data” will be huge in technology in the coming year, and I predict there will be an explosion in companies that offer education-related analytics.
1. More initiatives for Career Technical Education (CTE).
2. California’s High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) will be suspended due to budget constrains.
3. Funding shifts from hardcopy to digital instructional materials & textbooks.
Superintendent-Elect Torlakson’s transition team has shared the following issue areas that he has identified as priorities over the next four years:
1) Better Teaching: Improve Teacher Preparation
2) Smarter Systems: School Finance Reform Designs & School Construction Reform.
3) 21st Century Curriculum: Next generation testing/ assessments, Support career & college readiness, Increase access to high quality preschool, Implement standards-based curriculum.
4) Safe & Healthy Kids: Improve access to high quality after school programs & Improve access to health care on campus
1. The “Save our Schools and Call to Action” event that Anthony Cody and others are organizing for Washington, DC on July 28-31 will come off successfully.
2. ESEA will be redone, giving cause both for optimism and pessimism whatever any given person hopes will happen.
3. Each and every school day will bring tens of thousands of reasons to celebrate in schools across the country.