Steven Pinker: The surprising decline in violence

Technology has made the world smaller, and it will eventually allow us
to (or has allowed us to) enjoy the benefits of cooperation in a way that is
more accessible to more people than ever. Here Steven Pinker talks about the surprising
decline in violence among humans, and urges us to focus on some of the
things we are doing right in society. I think this is really important.

Why Technology is the Most Important Factor in the Success of Schools Today

So with the advent of so much technology, many parents fear that technology is stunting learning. Some researchers are finding the opposite to be true. Do students really learn better when using technology and online tools? The recent scientific research and theories on best learning practices are evidence for several convincing arguments that students, in fact, do learn better with the aid of technology. Learning supported with online technology is the answer to the problem of a homogenized educational curriculum that we saw as a result of people in education responding in a very uncreative way to the requirements for meeting state and federal standards. It is a widely recognized fact that what was once our U.S. schools one-size-fits-all approach to learning is now outdated. In order to bring schools into the realm that most students are already existing in today, a realm that is dominated by the use of online tools and technologies, we need to acknowledge the power that online learning brings to the learning process. Online learning and access to new technologies simply makes the classroom more student centered (Clark, 2008). If we were to ask students what they think about implementing technologies in the classroom in order to maximize learning, according to the CDW 21st-Century Classroom Report (2011), 94 % of students say that they believe that using technology to hone and develop their skills will maximize their opportunities for success in the future. The statistics for teachers that believe this to be true is less than half of that figure (CDW Government LLC ). Technologies in the classroom are compared to disruptive innovations in the marketplace by Professor C. Christensen (2008). Disruptive innovations in the marketplace is a term coined to explain important, complex innovations that provide services or products that were once so expensive that they were only available to a few elite customers available to almost everyone. According to Christensen in his book “Disrupting Class” (2008), technology is the disruptive innovation in the education sector that will change the way that educators approach learning forever. With all of this in mind embracing technology and online learning tools as the best way to reach all students is the logical next step for visionary educators.

Resources

CDW Government LLC (2011). The 2011 CDW-G 21st-Century Classroom Report. Vernon Hills, Il: CDW-G. Retrieved August 8, 2014 @ http://newsroom.cdw.com/features/feature-06-28-10.html

Christensen, C. M., Horn, M. B., & Johnson, C. W. (2008). Disrupting Class. New York: McGraw Hill.

Clark, T. (2008). Online Learning: Pure Potential. Educational Leadership, Reshaping High Schools,65(8). Retrieved July 31, 2014 @ 

http://www.blackboard.com/resources/k12/ASCD_Online_Learning_Pure_Potential.pdf