Free-range Students

Do we have education systems in place that allow students to use technology effectively in constructivist framework? For the most part, no.

We have technology and many know how to use it but its use is very limited. One or two computer labs per school does not allow for students to seek out information and construct meaning on a regular basis. The laptop initiative in some middle school classes is a start. Each student is assigned a laptop and all work is done on it but are middle school kids ready to filter through pages of information, select relevant material and build meaning. They are if it is something that interests them but the motivation to look up the life and times of Galileo would not be there for many kids.

We are not ready to simply say "here's the curriculum, go to it". There are a select few students who are "free-range" and are successful learners on their own. Most, however, are not and they would starve if we set them out on their own. Not because they can't eat, because they aren't motivated to eat. That is where teachers in the Digital Age meet their biggest challenge - motivating kids to learn on their own and become life-long learners.