Technology has been a valuable commodity in learning. It has opened up new ways of learning and spawned international classrooms. One of the major reasons I became an educator is that I love learning. If I could (financially), I will go back to University in an heartbeat to learn new things. And thanks to technology, you don’t even have to leave your home nowadays to learn. I’ve always believe that more than some fancy teaching or curriculum (not that these aren’t important), the most important thing is to instill the passion of learning in every child’s heart. For many students, learning unfortunately has become a chore, to pass exams or to get to good schools.
Just recently I’ve finished a class on Machine Learning (an online course ) with Stamford University with a renowned professor. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned the many applications of linear algebra in real world situations that I teach. I quickly signed up for another course on Model Thinking that is equally as absorbing. MIT has also started a new course structure available to the public and even comes with a certification if you complete the course. Technology is liberating the monopoly of knowledge and making it available to everyone, anywhere. Amazing! I remember growing up, struggling with lack of learning materials and not so good teachers and having nowhere to turn for help. How times have changed…
Honestly, sometimes I don’t understand what todays’ kids whine about when it come to LEARNING…
Great going Mano! (as always…. so much to learn from you!)
🙂
Thanks Shalini for your encouragement. Nice to hear from you.
Great ideas here. Mr. Mano! Technology sure brings learning easier and more efficient, and maybe one day online learning will be more and more popular. People around the world can share great ideas with each other and learning would be less limit. This school is the very first time I experienced using digital learning. I can now learn latest ideas and knowledge on the internet and they are very easy to search. Also in this school I also find out some concerns of digital learning. The disadvantage of digital learning is distraction. I believed in every class there must be at least one student on Skype or other websites. In my opinion, one of the most important learning in math is “To Think”. I, as a student, find out basically when we don’t know some questions, the very first step we do is to “Google” the answer, not “Think.”
At last, I think technology can be both a very useful life learning tool or a big distraction in schools. It all depends on the will of learning.
Thanks Mr. Mano. Nice post!