How Will Technology Change Education?

How many seats and how many classrooms will Beverly Hills High School need in 20 years? How will technology change learning? Will attendance even be necessary when teachers can access students at home via webcam?

These questions were part of a provocative discussion Monday morning at the Beverly Hills Unified School District’s Educational Futures Conference. The conference marked the start of efforts to finalize the “Strategic and Facility Master Plan” that is expected to guide the district over the next two decades on the development and growth of BHUSD facilities.

“Is technology a threat to the teacher-student relationship?” Tracy Richter, CEO of national education planning firm DeJong Richter, asked an audience of about 200 community members. DeJong Richter was hired earlier this year by the Board of Education to develop the master plan.

Many in the audience noted that teachers will become more like discussion moderators as the Internet and smart phones make the task of memorizing facts irrelevant. The skill of learning to evaluate multiple information sources will become more important for students as technology makes it easy for them to access an unlimited amount of online material.

“Which were the major battles of the Civil War?” asked Jim Dicamillo of WLC Architects Inc., which has been hired by BHUSD to renovate some district facilities. “All you need to do is access a wireless Internet connection to get that information.”

Dicamillo stunned some parents when he said his daughter, a college junior with top grades, had never been to the school library.

“Why go to the library when everything you need can be downloaded to your e-reader of your phone?” he asked.

The discussion topics included nationwide demographic trends and local educational issues. Audience members answered a survey about how they think the five city schools should be configured, how technology should be integrated in the classrooms and how closely the district should work with city departments to offer services.

These questions are particularly relevant as the BHUSD starts to spend its $334 million bond. The bond’s language specifies the money be spent on school construction and improvements.

Audience members—which included parents, educators and a handful of BHHS students—had varying opinions on how to configure and modernize the schools. Their views foreshadow how difficult it may be to get the community to support specific educational reforms.

For example, there was disagreement about whether the district should pursue blended classrooms that bring two grades together. Blended classrooms allow for more collaborative learning among students while allowing a school to hire fewer teachers or use less classroom space.

The conference's surveys and discussions will be summarized in a report given to district officials, according to DeJong Richter representatives. The firm hopes to have the master plan developed by the end of 2011.

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