The "Evolution" of Education

There was so much to respond to in the MacArthur report - I responded to the Klopfer...
When I read the Klopfer, I was reminded of a recent discussion I had about a child in my class. He has been using some inappropriate, hyper-violent phrases in class and we were wondering if they were borrowed from his computer games and TV shows. It was the school's suggestion that the parents limit all "screen time." His mother agreed that she would limit certain activities , but told us that he played a game about city planning that she felt was very beneficial. This was a reminder to us that not all "screen time" is detrimental to learning. This student struggles in many areas, foremost in reading. This type of game may be an opportunity for him to develop critical thinking that may be less accessible to him through traditional educational channels.
This quote from the Klopfer resonated with me, " We advocate for an evolution
in educational practices and approaches to instruction, which not only align with the processes and operations of the world outside of school, but also leverage the emerging power and potential of these new processes and technologies." It followed a passage explaining that current educational practices need not be demonized or thrown away. Instead, it is the job of educators to harness the power of technology and allow it to help "evolve" educational practices.