What does the future hold for our students?

What will your classroom look like five years from now?

As educators we plan for everything.  We plan for the struggling, the advanced, the bubble, the unexpected, the expected, the motivated, the uninvolved, the dreamer, the creator, the list goes on forever.

Most of our planning also is done for a specific period of time.  We plan for the week or the unit.  We also might plan for the quarter or semester.  Having a plan is your road map.  It helps you see the path you want to take.  There will always be conditions along this journey that can accelerate or detour your trip.  

My question that we should take time to reflect on is-how do we plan for learning opportunities that have not been identified yet?  The technologies and classroom structures of today will be considered dated five years from now.  Think back to what you were doing  in your classroom five years ago.  Five years ago, I was using iPad2s in my classroom and beginning to have students engage in collaborative conversations using Google Apps at their table groups.  Today students in our school, are engaging in conversations with learners on the other side of the world in their Makerspaces.  Students are publishing work in their own blogs or using their own social media accounts to connect with one another in cafe style classrooms.

How do we plan for today to prepare our students for the future?  What learning opportunities will you provide today to enhance their chances to be successful in a competitive tomorrow? Technologies and learning opportunities are always evolving and so must the teacher and more importantly the leader.  We can no longer plan for just the unit, the semester the 2018-2019 school year; we need to plan for the opportunities that will be staring at us with bright head lights five to ten years from now.  As you begin to reflect on what your classroom will look like in five years-do not forget about your why and how will you ensure that your why drives your planning for the future learning opportunities of your students.

In two years my daughter will be entering kindergarten.  She already knows how to search on an iPad.  She knows how to take pictures and videos on an iPhone.  She knows how to engage in conversations using FaceTime and other video chats.  How will her educational experience be different?  How will we embrace what she already knows how to do with technology in order to better prepare her for the occupations that haven't even been invented yet?

While these are not questions i expect us to answer over night; i do expect us to take the time to understand the urgency. Time does not stand still for anyone or anything.