Life is like a box of chocolates, and education is like...a McRib sandwich?!?!

                The iLearn Technology blog author stated that her blog was relatively quiet due to the Thanksgiving holiday.  However, over the course of the last week, she posted a very interesting article.  On her blog, she compared a McDonald’s McRib sandwich to our current system of education.  She said, “Education is looking more and more like a McRib these days, processed, standardized and made to look like something that is satisfying and doing its job. But really, this kind of education is only a cheapened imitation of the real thing.  The real thing is truly satisfying, always better than the imitation.”  While I had not had such a revelation regarding education to a processed sandwich, I believe she makes a valid point!  Most of our curricular programs (at least on the elementary school level) are very “packaged and processed”.  I heard someone comment the other day that teaching is becoming a lost art.  I think that is perhaps where the blog’s author was going with her article.  I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this blog this semester and will continue to do so in the future.  Not only have I gained access to relevant classroom resources, I have also gotten to read some enlightening articles.  I am happy to know that others feel that education needs to pull away from some of the standardization.  Education is not a “one size fits all” kind of thing!

                A member of the ITForum also posted an interesting link in reference to K-12 online teachers.  This is still somewhat of a new concept for me.  I know that many high school students have the opportunity to participate in some online courses.  However, it is hard for me to imagine this type of instruction in the elementary school setting.  The article stated that many online teachers are resorting to social networking sites as a form of professional development.  This appears to have eased some of the isolation online teachers previously expressed they felt from their peers.  Social networking appears to have made its mark on nearly everyone!   I will be interested in seeing what impact social networking has next.  I will also be interested in seeing how K-12 online instruction continues to develop!