EdTechTrek

My two sons both went through their Buzz Lightyear phase and could be seen shouting as they jumped off of the sofa, “To infinity and beyond!” Are our students aspiring to the same?

Finding that balance between school knowledge/skills and knowledge/skills that we need once we leave school is not easy. No doubt, a democratic educated citizenry needs a core base of common knowledge and skills. However, are we preparing kids to be successful AT school, or are we preparing kids to be successful once they leave school?

Imagine if Buzz Lightyear uttered the exclamation of “To the next room, and the next!” Or, “To math, then to spelling!” I am so thankful for the dedicated and visionary teachers out there who are helping their students every day to reach beyond the classroom and the walls of the school to infinite ways of knowing, learning, and collaborating… beyond our own school experiences to experiences that will truly prepare them to be ready to jump in to “real world” learning and working. After all, we best remember those school experiences that meant something to us - that challenged us, that excited us, that allowed us to use our “school skills” in relevant and authentic ways, that involved a real audience… So, I say, “To infinity and beyond” with new meaning today in this highly connected and flattened world. The opportunities to achieve this are so great they are dripping… Let’s not let our students dry up on the vine.