Dickson's Blogathon

As much as people question Microsoft's business practices, no one can dispute their philanthropic work in the community.  Most recently, they helped launch a "School of the Future" in Philadelphia to help address the changing demands of society.

From the Microsoft Press Release:

The School of the Future is the result of a unique collaboration between the School District of Philadelphia, Microsoft Corp. and the community of West Philadelphia that will deliver a new approach to curriculum and school design and the infusion of technology into the daily lives of educators and learners.

And you can bet its loaded with technology:

Students -- who are called "learners" -- use smart cards to register attendance, open their digital lockers and track calories they consume. They carry laptops, not books, and the entire campus has wireless Internet access.

Teachers, or "educators," rather than using blackboards, have interactive "smart boards" that allow teachers to zoom in and out, write or draw, and even link to the Internet.

There's no library, but an "interactive learning center" where information is all digital and a "multimedia specialist" will help out students.

It's more than just technology. The curriculum will also focus on many life skills including organizing and planning, negotiating, dealing with ambiguity and managing relationships. And you know what's surprising, the school was built with a standard public-school budget.

Being a recent graduate from Computer Engineering, I can't help but feel that most of my education did not help prepare me for the work force. The lessons taught were out of date or not applicable, tools used were on the verge of extinction and I felt I was being molded into a graduate student rather than being prepared for life. At best, I would say my education was preliminary.  "Marks don't matter", "You're not going to use what you learned in school" are common phrases from graduates. What really matters is communication, leadership, and the drive to learn and be involved in the community. By giving the technological tools to the students, they are taught to look beyond the boundaries of the book. The students will learn how to teach themselves and the teacher will help facilitate it. The "School for the Future" is definitely on the right track.

However, I think there is still one crucial factor that needs more emphasis in the curriculum and that is involvement of the parents. Parents are more important than technology and curriculum and is hands down the biggest influence on a child. Parents need to proactively encourage their child's curiosity, develop discipline and involve them in different activities that develop life skills. India and China's students didn't become more competitive (at least academic wise) because they had access to technology. It came from strict discipline and the child's understanding that they were "fighting for their lives". Ever see a school in China? You'd think it was a military camp. Their parents are also much more involved in their education (a sometimes accurate depiction of Asian parents). There needs to be some sense of that desperation (not all of it mind you) engraved into the hearts of students because without that, no amount of technology or quality of curriculum can help. I have no doubt the "School of the Future" kids will do well academically and in the future but that's partly because it's a "privileged school". Once all schools have the same technology and curriculum, it is sheer will and determination of the student that makes them competitive.