You Don’t Get Something for Nothing

By Steve Joordens. In a previous post I shamelessly described the learning technologies we are creating in the Advanced Learning Technologies Lab of the University of Toronto Scarborough as “Stairways to Heaven”.
Specifically, I described the philosophy that guides us, one that involves building technologies (i.e., stairways) that can take us from where we are – an education system that primarily stresses memorization skills and content – to where we want to be – an educational “Heaven” in which our students regularly engage in learning activities specifically created to exercise and develop the core learning objectives that distinguish scholars and leaders from mere databases of knowledge (e.g., critical thought, creative thought, reflective thought, expressive communication, receptive communication, etc.). Read more...