The first thing I would like to refer is this blog entry. I am new to the read/write web as Will Richardson refers to it, but I found this very short note of interest. It echos some of my own thoughts about education today. Wilson states that students should be observed and assessed more frequently in groups (Note: he does NOT state traditional individual assessment is no longer valid). It is their social ability which will be desperately needed in their futures. Students who are not capable of working in groups will have difficulty in all sorts of settings (high school, college, employment).
The world wide web is becoming a place where this is also true. Initially the Internet was something slightly introverted and individualistic. It is evolving into a dynamic and social place where information is produced as fast as it is consumed. Students unable to work and consume information in an actively social environment will be severely handicapped in the world to come. We must assess our students traditionally but we must also learn to encourage students to think together. We must give students the tools to locate the information they need and to work collaboratively to solve problems. It it no longer he who knows the most who is the most important it is he who can locate the information the fastest.
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