I work at a very competitive high school half of my week. Students, parents, and teachers vie to get into USA Today's top-rated colleges. In fact, it is so competitive that some resort to cheating and less ethical measures to ensure top placement. As I look around, I know the students here have great potential. However, at times, I wonder if we are guiding them wrongly.
Should we be preparing them to get into the Harvards and Yales of the world or should we be preparing them to innovate - to have skills of leadership, humility, collaboration, adaptability and loving to learn and re-learn? If they don't get into the top ranked college or graduate top of their class, but have the ability to innovate, will they not be employable? I argue the opposite.
In fact, companies like Google look for those who know how to apply what they have learned. Though a degree from a great college may show well, the longevity of someone's career depends on how well they can apply what they know, how well they can work as part of a team, how well they can learn and relearn, how adaptable they are, and how they can innovate.
Though this is part of the larger - how do we grade students - debate, I feel it is essential to better preparing our students and better creating a work force that produces change. In the meantime, check out this NY Times article on "How to Get a Job at Google." In particular, refer to the last paragraph - how can we apply that to technology integration and student learning?
Should we be preparing them to get into the Harvards and Yales of the world or should we be preparing them to innovate - to have skills of leadership, humility, collaboration, adaptability and loving to learn and re-learn? If they don't get into the top ranked college or graduate top of their class, but have the ability to innovate, will they not be employable? I argue the opposite.
In fact, companies like Google look for those who know how to apply what they have learned. Though a degree from a great college may show well, the longevity of someone's career depends on how well they can apply what they know, how well they can work as part of a team, how well they can learn and relearn, how adaptable they are, and how they can innovate.
Though this is part of the larger - how do we grade students - debate, I feel it is essential to better preparing our students and better creating a work force that produces change. In the meantime, check out this NY Times article on "How to Get a Job at Google." In particular, refer to the last paragraph - how can we apply that to technology integration and student learning?
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