According to Richardson, the first version of modern education focuses on doing what we are currently doing, only "better." Reformers following this view "see schools as places where technology is increasingly a tool to better deliver content, where a growing emphasis on passing the test becomes a business proposition" (p. 225-226). The second vision of reform that Richardson offers, however, focuses on students "asking questions, working with others to find the answers, doing real work for real audiences, and adding to, not simply taking from, the storehouse of knowledge that the Web is becoming" (p. 275-277). Though it would be easier to endorse the first version of modern education--one that I believe is much more readily obtainable in the current educational climate--I must side with the second version of reform that Richardson has articulated. I think that if we are requesting that students do work, that work should be for real world audiences and have real meaning whenever possible. This is the model that the school I am currently working at, High Tech High, follows. The students at this school have the opportunity to spend the majority of the semester working on projects in their local communities, projects like the one my students are doing with the Escondido Creek Conservancy. As a teacher, it is much easier to encourage students to work on a real world project like this, rather than focusing on work with little or no immediate relevance to their lives.
In addition to the strategies mentioned above, such as having students do real work for real audiences, one learning strategy that I can commit to is the strategy of being a Master Learner. Personally, I love learning, and I spend much of my free time outside of school learning new tasks, such as computer programming, which have little to no direct links to the subject that I am teaching. However, I always like to explore ways to connect my subject area content to new tools in technology (like the Oculus Rift and other virtual reality technology, which I refuse to stop talking about). I am happy to be a learner alongside my students and to to acknowledge when I don't know something, or to even accept their help when they know something I do not.
One learning strategy that I believe I will have trouble with is the concept of "Sharing everything." Personally, I have never been a fan of social media; often, I don't feel like I have anything especially important to share. However, I realize that this is something I will have to get used to--and quickly--if I am to attempt to keep pace with my students. For example, I was recently on a field trip with my students to the San Diego Film Festival, where the students participated in an activity involving creating and posting Vine videos of themselves. I would have hesitated to participate in such an activity because I would be nervous about posting a video of myself to the internet. However, I was amazed that my students did not hesitate at all. Despite my shock and unintentional reluctance to "share" in the digital world, I realize that this is a professional area in which I must improve, and I am committed to doing so. After all, education really is moving in a new direction, and rather than sit back and get run over by the movement, I plan to be one of the few helping to drive it forward.
Richardson, Will (2012-09-10). Why School?: How Education Must Change When Learning and Information Are Everywhere (Kindle Single). TED Conferences. Kindle Edition.