This post first appeared on Edutopia.
This past year, iPads, Chromebooks, and laptops continued to flood classrooms. Schools increasingly adopted 1:1 or BYOD programs and constructed new learning spaces. So what’s next? Now that students have increased access to digital tools and devices, I think that 2016 may be the year of student agency — the ability to act independently within a given environment and assume an amount of control and empowerment. In other words, this may be the year to truly empower students to become active learners.
In their book Tinkering Towards Utopia, David Tyack and Larry Cuban describe education reform as both incremental and cyclical. Over time, schools make incremental changes. Meanwhile, specific conversations repeat themselves in cycles. However, as a topic reemerges, the environment has shifted. Agency and learner empowerment are not new concepts, nor are the recommendations for how to achieve them. However, the landscape no longer looks the same.
Beth will be a featured presenter at the February 1-3, 2016 EdTechTeacher Innovation Summit in San Diego. Her topics will include Fostering a Culture of Innovation and From Library and Learning Space to Learning Commons. Early Bird Registration is OPEN!
