The Future of Education

As an almost digital native (born in 1984) I wonder about how schooling will be like in the near future. The designs and developments of the last years bring further pressure on societies and their education systems, caused by a rising influence of visual content, social media and digital based knowledge on the one hand and by products for learners and teachers newly developed by relevant internet-companies or schoolbook publishers on the other hand. Software for integrated learning like Google Classroom, hard- and software solutions like iPad-classes or highly differentiated learning platforms such as itslearning (not yet available in Italy) are more than only sharing documents but allow all involved parties to integrate (learners, teachers, parents and senior leaders). For example it’s also possible for teachers to download from the platform a learners final report card, already implemented with its school grades – they only add and change a few sentences/things to finalise the report card. Is software killing jobs or do teachers spend less time with management and get more time for teaching, educating and relationships in class? Is software offering a more inclusive schooling or does it lead to lonely screen staring individuals? One thing is clear: nothing could replace the aim of school that consists in intended learning and interacting in a real group with professionalized teachers in a well-equipped building or suitable place for doing sports, arts, practice foreign languages and be creative in things and respectful in interpersonal relationships. School politics have to do both – innovate schools and prevent them from getting machines. Old teachers should not be obligated to use newer technologies but let us consider that young teachers want to use them. Pupils want to be challenged and supported as persons and in their real world as in their digital one.
I’m going to describe two learning platforms (a commercial one, itslearning, and another one, that has been created by a certain school) and discuss benefits and problems for the different roles involved.

Keywords: Learning platform, inclusive schooling, digital societies;