2017 ought to be different. There is a president elect in the USA and in Austria, which means, no more campaigns. Just work! 2017 will be about being reasonable. The Innovationsschule is mainly about education and being reasonable has got a lot to do with education. I often write about new pedagogical concepts and right now, some of them are being tested. The Future Classroom Lab is just the tip of the iceberg. Also, when it comes to technology, there is is a lot going on. Technology translates to education.
New Pedagogy or Saying It Out Loud?
The European Schoolnet Academy host 18 different courses for teachers right now. The goal is to introduce new teaching methods for the 21st century. On top of that, we can draw a lot of inspiration from the Future Classroom Lab. Dividing the classroom into different learning zones offers new ways of pedagogical flexibility. This is not new. Having new forms communication, the dissemination of new pedagogical concepts is more prominent and easier. The Innovationsschule pushes for that and takes position against any politician not serving education well.
Technology’s Role & What About Apple?
In a pedagogical environment, the technology has got to serve education at all costs, not the other way around. A thought-out pedagogical concept enhances the technology’s role and increases fruitful interaction because the technology is being used at the right time. When I was in school, just before graduation, notebooks started to surface. Clearly, the hardware changed and you will not stumble over cables anymore because the battery life improved.
When I was younger, Apple offered the hard- and software to work with in education. To this day, I type on an Apple computer. But the company lost its mojo due to the passing of a personal hero of mine. Finding the innovative and cutting edge spirit might be difficult. And of course, that translates to education as it has been Apple’s priority for years. Having a laptop with that glowing Apple logo in class was a sign of distinction. Not anymore.
Education Is About Providing!
Education will always be about providing the youth with concepts, ideas and challenges to increase their personal growth. Be it by actively inspiring them or be it by offering them opportunities to get inspired. That was the idea of the Future Classroom Lab in the premises of the European Schoolnet. Education is about inspiration and that word, inspiration, is a strong one. If you are inspired, you cannot get out, you are caught. Often, we talk about new pedagogical concepts being in place and new technology working. But the main goal remains to inspire. And now that we are not politically distracted, as mentioned above, we should be focussed more on education.