Can Education be too Personalized?

       When asked: Can learning be too personalized?, experts in technology education, Michael Peters and John Hendron, fell on opposite sides of the spectrum. Michael Peters stated that although there are benefits to personalized education, education as a whole must conform to a certain set of standards in order to allow students to be on common ground in certain knowledge foundations. Because personal education plans often involve the use of technology and are completed by individuals online, Peters fears that students' overall ability to work collaboratively and creatively with others will decline. Peters states that "education is only truly successful insofar as it can prepare us for applying our individual talents while working with others" (Peters and Hendron 6). Therefore, if learning is too personalized, and consequently social interactions and collaboration decline, students are not adequately prepared to enter the "real" world. However, John Hendron disagrees and states that international, national, and state perspectives on education skew learning to focus on creating a workforce that can compete economically. Hendron advocates for a more individual based perspective on education where curriculum "caters [itself] to student's strengths... and interests" (Peters and Hendron 7).  The idea behind this personalized education is to focus on student's individual interests in the hope to help them reach their fullest potential. Although Hendron advocates personalized education, he also says that their still needs to be a set of standards which address common knowledge. In other words, all students must have the same basic knowledge so that the society at large can function harmoniously. He gives the example that students must take a driver's ed course before going on the road, even if they are not interested in the subject matter, so that basic societal needs are maintained.

       I think the fact that two experts had totally different opinions about personalized education, means that moderation is needed. Students must be encouraged to pursue their interests and grow in their strengths, while they also learn a set of standardized common curriculum. If students' learning is too personalized then their education will be skewed to address only certain fields, and therefore students will not have a well-rounded and holistic education. However, if education is too standardized, and fails to address the needs and interests of individual students, then students will not be encouraged to pursue their own passions and make their knowledge/education their own.  Therefore, I suggest that schools integrate a period of freetime exploration into daily schedules where students can discover new interests and refine skills. For example, students can explore and research various topics or careers they are interested in using the internet. They can look at online tutorials to teach them certain crafts or trades. In order for students to be held accountable for using exploration time productively and positively, students should be required to write reflections or document their exploration for teacher/peer review.  This exploration and accountability also opens up doors for students to share with their peers what they are learning and how they are growing in certain fields of interests. This collaboration can inspire further research and ignite new passions in others students. Education therefore, with appropriate modification and moderation, can address the needs of the society and the individual.

      This article did not address any of the NETS-S standards.

Peters, M., & Hendron, J. (2013, August). Can Learning be too Personalized? Learning & Leading Through Technology, 6-7. Retrieved February 12, 2014

Enhancing Classroom Learning with Tablets

         Integrating the use of tablets within the classroom has enormous benefits for teachers and students alike, found one elementary school in Flagstaff, Arizona who recently began using iPads in the classroom. First grade students at Thomas Elementary used their class set of iPads to watch a live feed of animals in their natural habit, conduct research on specific habitats, and create a project featuring their findings. Although most schools feature a computer lab, teachers at Thomas Elementary noted that scheduling sessions for student computer use is difficult because of the amount of classes at a given school. With demands for computer lab use rising, individual classes are not able to attend the labs regularly and therefore cannot as readily participate in certain activities. However, the access and implementation of iPads within the classroom, made accessing applications and activities a daily occurrence. Students were able to daily conduct research on their chosen habitats, while viewing live feeds of those habits, using the applications available on the iPad. Moreover, students were able to culminate their learning experiences into a project using apps like neu.KidsDraw and Sundry Notes.  These applications allowed students to draw their specific habitat and share their research and observation findings. In this regard, students were able to practice and refine writing skills, research skills, technology skills, and science knowledge.

          Tablet use in the classroom provides students with easy and daily access to the latest activities and applications in the education domain. Additionally, it allows students to digitally save their work, thus creating a portfolio of their learning experiences. Moreover, tablets enhance deep learning by providing interactive software that is more engaging than typical paper format actives or textbooks. Another advantage to the implementation of tablets in the classroom is their portability. As wireless devices, they can be used anywhere with a wifi connection. Therefore, if a school has campus-wide wifi, teachers can take their students to different locations on campus to complete work and enhance learning. For example, if students are doing a science lesson on plants, they can go outside with their iPads and view different plants while making notes, finding research, or drawing their observations. 

        Unfortunately, although tablets can positively enhance learning, they are an expense not many schools can afford. Tablets are a luxury item, and with education funds consistently declining, it is unlikely that school districts will begin to provide tablets for classroom use. If a classroom set of a device is not available, teachers cannot expect their students to be able to do a project or activity through that device. Teachers must ensure that all students have equal opportunity, and therefore equal access, to technological devices like tablets. If funding for education increases, tablets should be integrated into classrooms for daily use so that learning is enhanced and students can become more adept at using technology. 

       The integration of tablets within the classroom would meet all NETS-S standards. In terms of the activities from Thomas Elementary, the project and observations meets standard 3 that students "apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information" and standard 1 that students "demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology" (NETS-S). In addition, it also meets NETS-S teacher standards 1 and 2 about effectively designing technology based curriculum and inspiring creative use of technology by students. 


iPad Use in the Classroom: 

Conn, C. (2013, September). Get Deeper Learning with Tablets. Learning & Leading through Technology, 35-37. Retrieved February 12, 2014

NETS-S (2014). In ISTE NETS-S Advancing Learning in the Digital Age. Retrieved February 12, 2014