Tim Magner, director of the Office of Educational Technology at the U.S. Education Department, participates in a videoconference held at the Lower Hudson Regional Information Center about School 2.0, a new initiative designed to help schools and communities develop a common education vision for the future. Also pictured is Sarah Martabano, distance learning/video conferencing coordinator for the LHRIC's Model Schools Program and moderator of the videoconference.

At recent videoconferences held at the Lower Hudson Regional Information Center’s offices in Elmsford, local educators were encouraged to rethink education and learning as part of a new initiative spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Education called School 2.0.

The videoconferences, organized by the LHRIC’s Model Schools Program, included Tim Magner, director of the Office of Educational Technology at the Department of Education, and Stephen Hockett, its principal-in-residence.

Several factors are driving the discussion, including the proliferation of new collaborative computer technologies such as distance learning, videoconferencing, and free and open source software. The Education Department also acknowledges the rapid evolution of the information economy and the move to a more transparent society. 

Lucy Roman, coordinator of Administrative and Instructional Technology for the White Plains School District, said the ideas talked about during the videoconference, especially the sharing of resources with the community, were particularly useful. “School 2.0 confirms the discussions we’ve been having here in White Plains about the global learning skills our students will need for the future,” said Roman. “The important thing is how we fit into that framework and if indeed we are going in the right direction.”

Making technology ubiquitous throughout the community and building an infrastructure that all members of the community have access to, is of particular interest to Roman and the White Plains Schools. The idea, she said, is to get municipalities, community-based organizations and school districts working together, and the best way to do that, she noted, is through a secure wireless system.

Roman realizes, however, that there’s more to School 2.0 than simply hardware and software. “It’s a philosophy that’s meant to transform education and to enhance collaboration and communication between many groups, and that sometimes means changing the way we look at things.”

The district is moving in the right direction. All of its elementary schools are equipped with whiteboards, and the middle and high schools also have an abundance of them. The idea of communicating with students and teachers around the country and in different parts of the world through mediums such as videoconferencing is also widely embraced by teachers and administrators in White Plains.

It’s not just local educators who are rethinking education, however. Leaders from government, industry and education have already begun a conversation about the future of 21st century education in America.

Encouraging students to become more knowledgeable about the world outside of the U.S., new sources of information and thinking outside the box are just some of the suggestions from the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, a high-powered group of leaders that includes Michael Dolan, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Viacom, Joel Klein, chancellor of the New York City Schools, former U.S. Education Secretary Richard Riley, and others.

Magner agrees, adding that if American schools are to move forward, they need to examine the way technology is delivered in the schools and at the same time become cognizant of the transformation it can make on learning as a whole.

The collaboration of schools, parents and the community is also necessary in order to make the School 2.0 initiative effective and produce the next generation of techno-savvy learners, he said.

For example, parents should be part of the teaching team, administrators should explore how technology can help schools become more efficient and effective, and the community should support students who will, he said, be society’s future doctors, mechanics and teachers.

Magner agreed that the world is “fundamentally different” today than it was 100 yearsago. The formation of schools originally designed to educate workers who chose either an agrarian life or work in a factory does not apply in today’s information-age economy, he said.  “If we are going to make this investment in technology, then we need to stop doing the things we did years ago because they’re just not efficient and effective.”

Following the videoconference, participants gathered in groups to discuss the future needs of teachers, students, parents and the community. Topics included how working parents might be more involved in their children’s education, how parent-teacher conferences might be conducted online, how teachers can share best practices and ideas with each other, and how educators can actually learn from students sometimes.

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