Andrew Miller on the Future of Education

While offering online teaching, curriculum and instruction through Giantcampus.com, do you feel that more students are turning to this type of education vs. traditional classroom learning?  Do you believe that the courses offered through this site make students want to participate in a virtual learning experience?

AM: I think because it is a part of their discourse, students are naturally gravitating to this style of learning. Many of our students are digital natives, while many teachers are digital immigrants. In addition, the subject matter that Giant Campus offers is quite appealing to students. Often courses in Game Design, Flash Animation and even Green Technologies are not offered in the traditional school. Students see this an opportunity to challenge themselves with material that either they find relevant or intriguing. By focusing on technology and relevance, I believe Giant Campus has found an appealing and rigorous way for students to learn.

How does Project Based Learning (PBL) incorporate the technology of the 21st century? When combining the technologies of today with the interaction needed to succeed on a business level, do you feel that students gain more understanding of the education and skills they are being taught?  Why?

AM: PBL incorporates not only technology, but 21st century skills. It values collaboration, presentation and critical thinking; all within the content areas a project might address. Through the use of technology, we are building digital literacy for students that they will use in the ever changing work force. In addition, PBL demands depth of knowledge, not breadth. It demands inquiry and problem solving. Students must grasp with a challenge or problem and then research and learn in depth about a subject matter, all for a relevant purpose. Teachers still use traditional teaching methods, but the relevancy makes learning the content more effective. We as a culture need to move away from coverage. We can't cover everything. We can, however, pick the most important content and couple it with other overarching, 21st century skills to have students really engaging in relevant learning.

What are the goals of the educational system, and are they what you think they should be?

AM: Intent and action are the areas to look at when answering this question. I think that people in the system have good intentions. We want all students to learn. We want them to find relevant and engaging employment. I wonder if the system is doing all it can to meet these goals. I believe that we meet individual and group needs. I want my students to be able to collaborate, to make presentations. These are some of the "soft skills" that students need along with content skills of reading, writing, math and science. In a standards-based environment, one of the pitfalls is to become so attached to the standard that skills that overlap or move beyond a simple standard are lost. We need to avoid this at all cost.

Educationally, how does the United States compare to other countries? What methods and conceptual concerns from other countries could the U.S. incorporate into its educational models?

AM: I may be making a judgment but I believe that many other countries value education more than we do. We do not fund schools like we should. Schools don't have the materials and physical structures that are cutting edge. If we honestly and truly did value education as a country, then we wouldn't see as many symptoms of problems as we do now. Now I know we are all working hard, but we can do better.

How do you see technology changing the quality of education in the next 10 years?  Do you think it will change student/teacher relationships for better or worse?

AM: I think technology will become more apparent and integrated into education. I believe that teachers will need to adapt. They will have to become more of the digital native and use it to build relationships. It's not a sense of better or worse. It is just a reality and challenge that can be met.

How might social media and ever-changing technology improve classrooms and the learning environment for teachers and students? How might they be impeding the educational progress?

AM: I use social media in my instruction. It is part of student discourse. We can't ignore, instead we need to honor it and use it to reach students. "How can students use social media as an effective marketing tool?" "How can students create an effective MySpace for a character in Romeo and Juliet?" "How can students use ethos to write an effective blog?" These are the types of questions that teachers need to be thinking about. Yes, it can be a distraction as students constantly want be connected with their friends, but it is a challenge that can be met.

Is there anything else you'd like to say about any aspect of this topic?

AM: I'm glad that people are engaging in healthy discourse around the subject of education, technology and all its nuances. We need to continue this discussion in order to find different ways to meet the needs of all students, teachers, parents and communities.