Sitting in the lobby of a movie theater recently, two thoughts occurred to me:
1. I can't remember the last time I saw a movie in a theater, and
2. The way we experience movies has changed dramatically in the past 5-10 years.
Think about it. Technology has completely changed the way we watch movies. It wasn't that long ago that the only place to see a movie was in a theater or on TV. Then came VCR's, Blockbuster and HBO and suddenly we could watch movies at home at the touch of a button. There were a few missteps along the way (i.e. Laser Disc), but a couple technological advances more and we have DVD's and Blu Ray. Now factor in Netflix and suddenly we can download movies instantly and watch them on anything from a 40-inch plasma screen to a computer screen to a mobile phone. The changes happen so fast it is hard to keep up.
Maybe that is why the American education system has been so slow to implement technology in the learning process. The potential for technology to transform education and better prepare students for the future is hard to ignore, yet the behemoth educational bureaucracies seem to have done just that. Education is not keeping up with the world in terms of technological implementation and unless we pick up the pace dramatically, the impact on the next generation will be staggering.
That thought has been haunting me throughout this class on Using Productivity Tools Effectively. There are so many tools out there now and plenty of examples of how they can be used to facilitate student learning and equip students with 21st century skills. Yet there are far too many other examples of schools and districts and teachers delivering public education the same way it has been done for the last 50-years. Imagine if we were still watching movies the same way we did 50-year ago...
By the way, the last movie I saw in the theater was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 so it really wasn't all that long ago, it just wasn't a very memorable experience I guess.
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