2110; An American Digital Odyssey

By Jacob Gutnicki

Today in class we were told that we were going to research how people lived in the early 21^st century. This assignment will include the following components;

On Tuesday we will open a time capsule buried 100 years ago. Our task will be to read the time capsule entry, take notes on what we read, and conduct further research on what we have uncovered. Our research will include making use of the International Digital Library, interviewing at least 2 elders who lived during that time, and locating primary source documents that show differing opinions. After this is done, we are expected to design a 3D recreation of what we learned.

Well… Tuesday could not arrive quickly enough. In my box, there were a few items. One item was a thick paper document labeled PL 107-110, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. My box also included a rectangular box labeled iPod and what appeared to be a cowboy doll. Using the ring on my finger, I scanned the artifacts and uplinked it to the International Digital Library. As it turns out, the iPod was some kind of ancient music and video device used during the early 21^st century and the cowboy doll was called Woody from a movie that was popular in the late 20^th century.

Finally, there was the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. This yielded a tremendous number of results with differing opinions. I started to ask a number of elders about No Child Left Behind. They too had opinions that were inconsistent. Needless to say this was very confusing. So… I decided to talk to great gramps. Great Gramps was 98 years old, blunt as ever, and sharp as a whistle. He also probably knew more about this subject as he actually lived around those times.

A little later that day, I visited Great Gramps and asked him about the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. He said, “You mean NCLB. Why on earth would you want to know about that wretched bill?” I told great gramps that it was homework. He said, “Very well. Let me tell you about No Child Left Behind. It was the age of testing. Students were tested in every subject, every year. Many local school systems also ran 3-5 practices tests a year, along with expensive data stratification systems to determine student weaknesses and strengths. This in turn caused schools to spend an inordinate amount on test preparation activities.”

I said, “It seems so strange and archaic. When did the kids have time to write creative stories, run science experiments, and be a kid? ”

Great gramps said, “In many cases it was not easy. Fortunately, many schools found creative ways to do both and eventually the law was changed. About 75 years later, there was a major grassroots movement that advocated for school programs that foster creativity and inventiveness. After all Thomas Edison only had 4 years of schooling and Ben Franklin only had 2 years of schooling and look at what they accomplished. So… on the 300^th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 2076) No Child Left Behind was not renewed and was replaced with the Innovate our Children Act and as they say the rest is history.”

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Where's The Tech? The Missing Link in The Education Agenda of America’s Most Tech-Savvy President

As the excitement of the election of an historic president fades and the work of change begins, innovative educators everywhere will want to know exactly what is on President Obama’s education agenda. As power quietly switched over from the Bush administration to Obama at the stroke of noon on Inauguration day, one of the first places the shift was apparent was on the Web. As MSNBC.com reported, “The Bush White House's Web site disappeared into the ether, replaced by an online portal jazzed up with blog posts, slideshows and front-page video.” There you can take a look at “The Agenda” of the new president where visitors can learn more about the Obama-Biden Administration's positions on everything from health care and the economy to alternative energy and foreign policy.

Of course innovative educators are interested in taking a peek into the education agenda. For early childhood, there is a focus on voluntary universal pre-school as well as expanding Head Start and providing affordable quality child care. For K-12 many educators will be pleased that there is a plan to reform and fund NCLB. There is also support for High-Quality Schools and a plan to Close Low-Performing Charter Schools. They plan to make Math and Science Education a National Priority. They will address the dropout crises which is as high as 50% in some cities. There is a plan to expand high-quality afterschool opportunities. There is also a plan to support college outreach programs and college credit initiatives. There will be support for transitional bilingual education and help for Limited English Proficient students. Finally on the agenda is recruitment, preparation, retention, and a reward structure developed collaboratively with teachers.

But where is instructional technology and the development of 21^st Century skills? How about equity and access for our students to computers and internet access? Something that people like Nicholas Negroponte insist is the key to student success? I don’t see this here yet. I guess we'll have to find a way to ensure this is infused into this work going forward. Any ideas?

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