Technology and The Arts-The Need for an Educational Revolution

The world that we live in has changed.  And education has not changed with it. This is the root problem with education today.  We continuously throw money at educational programs and expect results.  The results aren’t coming like they should.  This is because most of the educational programs are flawed in the most fundamental way.  We are trying to teach students in outdated ways. Public Education needs a makeover, or faces extinction as we know it.

Technology is an Answer

We are living in the most exciting time in human history. Stimuli is everywhere and is constant.  This is the world in which our students live.  Smart phones, iPods, Tablet computers, Facebook, MySpace, and the internet are here to stay (and for good reason).  Our students have embraced this technology. 

Why haven’t the educational systems embraced them?  In fact, it seems that school systems fight against technology.  On the surface, they say they support technology, but then limit its use and access. 

This has got to change.

We need to embrace the possibilities of educational growth inherent in technology.  This is how our students learn.  This is what excites them.  If we can’t speak to students in a language that they understand, how can we expect them to learn?

The following video supports this…

It is unfortunate that this technology was awarded to this teacher because of a contest.  Do you see the problem here?  Why aren’t school systems investing in this technology? What if we gave iPads to high school students instead of textbooks?  Would our systems save money? Let’s do some simple math…

Average cost of textbook- $100 x 8 classes a year= $800 for year of textbooks.

For the sake of argument, let’s say that textbooks are purchased every 4 years, which means the cost of textbooks per student for an entire high school career is $800.  The cost of an iPad is $399.

Think how much the school systems could be saving while reaching students in an effective way.

The Arts are an Answer

The Arts are the future of the world economy.  You can see it already.  Our future will consist of interactivity and intelligent design.  (It already does.)  Economic freedom will belong to the creative.  If we do not prepare students for this future economy, we are setting them up for failure. 

Instead, we need to shift our focus from testing and concentrate on creativity.  We should awaken students to their inherent creativity.   We need to assist students to develop their creativity.  

And lastly, we need to teach students to use their creativity.  The Arts accomplish all of these things.  Why then are so many school systems cutting Art Programs?  Instead, the Arts should be the center of education.

This video nails it…

Education is need of a reformation and is in danger of extinction.  Public Education is under constant attack and without change, the attacks will continue.  Drastic change needs to happen now.