Reviewing the Past | Rethinking Learning

conversations about the future of teaching and learning

Barbara Bray

be creative, innovate, take risks, unlearn to learn

Oakland, CA

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Reviewing the Past

By Barbara Bray March 8, 2009 -- 09:40 PM

Before discussing the future of learning and elearning, I want to review the past. I�m going to write a few posts about learning, teaching, and the Internet. This post is about how the Internet began from Aarpnet to the present with some background information with the following eight minute animated documentary.

History of the Internet from PICOL on Vimeo.

I started using computers in the early 80s. Think the first was a TRS-80 and a portable Compaq with 5" floppy disks using 64K memory. I was hooked. Started using FrEDMail and AT&T Learning Circles with students so we could connect online. First time that students wrote a message and got a reply from students in another part of the country, they were hooked. So was I. This was the late 80s and early 90s.

I knew then that the Internet was going to make a big difference in students� lives. I was part oof several telecommunications grant projects and could see that this was the beginning of teaching and learning changing. The goal of the grants was to change teaching so teachers were more of a facilitator of group projects.

Sound familiar?

After all of this time - almost 18 years later, maybe only 15-20% of teachers have taken some risks to let go so their classrooms are more student-centric. With the focus on testing and accountability, even many of these teachers have obstacles that will not allow them to take risks and do projects. But now students can access the Internet from their phone, any computer, even games from anywhere. Students are finding traditional school irrelevant. What will happen to our schools?

Categories: "Computers" "Internet"