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Virtual Classrooms of the Future The deadly SARS outbreak in Hong Kong led to what may be the first instance of online learning replacing classroom learning. The Hong Kong Education City Limited, a government-funded entity that provided Web-based classes prior to SARS, expanded that opportunity to a much broader group of students. It linked teachers from 60 elementary and secondary schools with 6,500 home-bound students. The wide variety of courses offered enabled students and teachers to stay engaged in the learning process while the schools were shut down. Two California firms, Macromedia, Inc. and First Virtual Communications, Inc., provided the technology. In the U.S., about one third of K-12 schools offer distance learning to students. While distance education should not displace the present pattern of students going to school, it will increasingly have an impact on that somewhat antiquated paradigm. Source: "Virus Pushes Schools to Go Virtual," by Benny Evangelista, San Francisco Chronicle, April 21, 2003 www.sfgate.com Lesson Study Holds Promise for Redesigning Teaching Lesson study, a trend that has traveled from Japan to the U.S., is finding favor among classroom teachers. This strategy involves teachers in developing lessons together, observing their fellow teachers while delivering the lesson, and then systematically reviewing and evaluating the lesson. They not only critique each other, but also try to find ways in which what one teacher is doing can be integrated into the other teacher's classroom for a more coordinated curriculum. I saw this done extensively a decade ago in Japan. Teachers who are trying it in America seem to find it very helpful: 88 percent said lesson study substantially improved their instruction. Source: "Altering the Structure and Culture of American Public Schools," by Wellford W. Wilms, Phi Delta Kappan, April 2003 http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k0304wil.htm Flow of Young American Engineers and Scientists Slows to a Trickle In the critical fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (referred to as the STEM fields), an extremely large percentage of the advanced degrees from American universities go to foreign students. In STEM fields in 2000, 43% of physical science Ph.D.'s went to non-U.S. citizens; in mathematics, 42%; in computer science, 46%; in physics/astronomy, 36%; and in engineering, 56%. Enrollment in these programs has declined since September 11, 2001, because of the increasing difficulty students from China, India, and Pakistan, the nations from which the majority of these students come, are having in obtaining visas to study in America. The future of having fewer students in these fields and most of those students who are enrolled being non-U.S. citizens does not bode well for America's scientific leadership or our ability to compete long-term in a global economy in these critical areas. Source: "US Technological Supremacy is in Danger," Boston Globe Editorial, February 1, 2003 NANOTECHNOLOGY TRENDS Seeing the Light via LEDs Conventional light bulbs are being replaced by light-emitting microchips, which work longer, use less power, can exist in severe heat and cold, and allow designers to use light in new ways. Already used in the Nasdaq sign at Times Square, these light-emitting diodes (LEDs) adorned the White House Christmas tree last December. They are also in traffic lights, brake lights, and exit signs. Lighting experts expect the LEDs to move into the home and office lighting market by early 2007 and change how we use lighting. Chips that can change color at the touch of a computer will be embedded in walls and ceilings, replacing lamps and other lighting fixtures. By 2025, the U.S. Department of Energy predicts that because of their extraordinary efficiency, LEDs will cut the American electric bill by $100 billion and save an additional $50 billion by averting the need to build power plants. California, which has converted its traffic lights to use LEDs, cut the cost of its annual electricity bill by $10 million. The leader in the field is Shuji Nakamura, who is something of a hero in Japan for developing semiconductor materials that emit the bright blue light used for displays and data storage. Now at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Nakamura is working on making white light LEDs that are inexpensive and appealing enough to transform the $40 billion general illumination industry. Sources: "Light Bulbs Being Replaced by Microchips," by Barnaby J. Feder, New York Times, April 15, 2003; "LEDs vs. the Lightbulb," by David Talbot, Technology Review, May 2003 Nanotechnology Terms As nanotechnology becomes more of a focus not only of Views You Can Use, but also of the dialogue going on in industry and increasingly in education, we need to become acquainted with the terms. An excellent resource for commonly used nanotech terms, which I encourage you to print out for a reference, can be found at the Website of the Institute of Nanotechnology. www.nano.org.uk/vocab_terms.htm
Changing Demographics Hispanics are the fastest growing group of Americans, representing approximately 12% of the population today. By 2050, they will compose nearly a quarter of the population. Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians together make up 26%, a number that will increase to 47% by 2050. I believe that this trend presents a wide variety of challenges to the American education system and the nation. Many of these children live in poverty - 31% for Blacks and 28% for Hispanics, versus 9% for Whites (non-Hispanics). This also has implications for our limited English proficiency programs. Finally, it shows how dramatically different the work force in America will be in the years ahead. Source: U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Census Statistics as reported in "Status and Trends in the Education of Hispanics," National Center for Education Statistics, http://nces.ed.gov/ Gold-Collar Workers A new category of workers is emerging in America - gold-collar workers. They differ from both blue-collar and white-collar workers in some important ways. A gold-collar worker uses information from multiple disciplines to solve complex problems. Computer engineers and computer technicians are examples. They typically do not have one workstation, but rather move from department to department within large companies or even company to company solving some of the organization's most complex problems. They are often independent operators rather than employees of one company. They have a very steep lifelong learning responsibility because they are constantly on the cutting edge of technology and its newest applications. These knowledge workers are in great demand in America. Source: "Gold-Collar Workers," by Michael E. Wonacott, ERIC Digest, #234, 2002 Every spring, in preparation for the Model Schools Conference, my staff and I assemble extensive research on trends in technology, the work force, and society that will shape the future of education. I then update all my presentations to reflect this changing world. I also have some days available throughout the year to speak to education, business, and community groups on educating students for their future. Please contact Karen Wilkins for more information. (518) 399-2776 Karen@daggett.com AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE Updated descriptions of many of the concurrent
sessions at this year's Model Schools Conference, June 29-July 2 in Orlando, are
now posted on our Website: Model Schools Conference - Concurrent Sessions
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