online article: "The Waterbed Effect in K-12 Education"

Thanks to my compadre Ty, I enjoyed this article which nails down with great precision the challenges that are resulting from changes in education with technology as the catalyst. Great thinking.

"The Waterbed Effect in K-12 Education"
by Geoffrey H. Fletcher
T.H.E. Journal (Transforming Education through Technology)
01/04/12

http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/01/04/the-waterbed-effect-in-k12-education.aspx?sc_lang=en

Count: 3 pages

The reference to the waterbed is in contrast to what happens when pressure is put on a feather bed: localized, limited impact on the featherbed, but for a waterbed, pressure results in the "entire waterbed [being] affected in multiple ways. Every action is connected to, and affected by, every other action" (para. 2).

The analogy is apt, and Fletcher's point is well-taken: we must view the confluence of major changes in education today as part of the whole bed: the pressures must be managed holistically and in recognition of the various aspects of that pressure.

I found the identification of pressures to be helpful:

• a content shift from print to digital in general but in particular, with textbooks; 
• the assessment shift from print to digital 
• professional development is also shifting platforms from face-to-face, or "seat time," to online and digitally-accessible information and colleagues
• Each of these reflect the massive change in the infrastructure of technology itself.

I would love to see more discussion on these four aspects. But even by itself, this article is helpful. Thanks for sharing, Ty.