In his book Smart Schools, Smart Kids: Why Do Some Schools Work?, Edward Fiske insists that nowadays, innovative reformers are transforming every aspect of the “nineteenth-century factory-model school.

Indeed they are: Factory Model School, give way to, The Smart School.

Unlike many people think, to be an innovative (or SMART School) today isn’t necessarily about taking up the fanciest, most expensive school technology. Smart schools have a way of applying tools and creative out of the box methods in ways that work, and that other schools emulate. Essentially, to become a Smart School you need first of all have the passion to give your students the best possible education you  can offer. Technology or not, smart teaching takes lots of observation and trial to know what works and what doesn’t.

So why exactly must you go through this trouble?

photo from colorincolorado.com

Why; You Ask?

Lets start with the fact that the old model isn’t working. The schooling system we all went through seems to be tired and collapsing. In this age of digital citizenship, hour long talks in front of a white board  just won’t cut it for these kids. Around the world, educational systems have gone through several teaching reforms and styles and it has currently been proven that personalized and blended learning approaches are the best ways to get across to 21st Century students.

Another crucial reason is that whether we like it or not, Smart Learning prepares kids better for the future they will live in. Considering that every school aims to give its students an edge, the only way forward is quite obvious. Even from around the mid 2000’s, many kids who didn’t learn to be familiar with basic technology right from school age were disadvantaged when they entered the workforce.

So as the authors of AdvancED report clearly put it: “… it is no longer a question of “whether” but rather “how” to incorporate and leverage the use of technology and digital tools to boost learning inside our classrooms.”

How true! If you’ll need a few ideas to get started right away on being a Smart school, read these 5 innovative things happening in schools to show you how other schools in our part of the world are using tech to enhance their teaching and learning experience.

Follow up with  10 reasons today’s students  need technology in the classroom for some more motivation.

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