I appreciate your comments. Thank you for attempting to define 21st Century learning. You have surpassed SFUSD in your efforts to do so. I wonder if they would agree with you? They should.

Every historical era has been defined by technological innovations.Ours is no different even if technology is fast-forwarding civilization. Yet it is true more so than ever that the fundamental disciplines in the letters and sciences remain the building blocks of knowledge and that is what I want to convey to you. Technology has always been a means to an end, not the end in itself. Surfing the internet may be fun, but it is not going to make you any smarter unless you use it to further your knowledge. I think you already know this.

Computers and the internet like so many other tehnological innovations are the result of a multidisciplinary approach that was made possible by people with great minds who married their knowledge of the fundamental disciplines in letters and science with the possibilities made visible by their imaginations. The sciences of physics and chemistry along with mathematics and engineering have made the beloved internet possible. The interdisciplinary subjects like economics, philosophy and ethics, to name a few, define the manner in which it will be used.

Without question the tools of the computer age have expanded communication and advanced the knowledge base of the human race. But each individual student here in SFUSD and elsewhere must use these tools and the potentiality for learning that they offer to become educated in the subjects that matter most. I guess what I am trying to say or warn against is this – don’t become distracted by the internet’s convenience. Use it for inquiry – for education. I know you will.