Early in the video, Wesch points out how students consistently ask how many points an assignment is worth or what information will be on the test. As high school teachers, there's not much we can do to change that. As long as college admissions are based on test scores and grades, then high school students will continue to approach their studies from the viewpoint of "must get good grades and test scores," which inherently forces them to view all of their academic pursuits through the lens of the A to F spectrum.
The rest of his speech does bring up good points on the potential of technology to improve communication and learning for the modern student, though the current high school academic culture makes it difficult to imagine implementing any part of it before getting tenure. Students, administrators and parents are all expecting outcomes based on grades, test scores and college admissions, and until that culture changes, that's what we need to deliver.
The rest of his speech does bring up good points on the potential of technology to improve communication and learning for the modern student, though the current high school academic culture makes it difficult to imagine implementing any part of it before getting tenure. Students, administrators and parents are all expecting outcomes based on grades, test scores and college admissions, and until that culture changes, that's what we need to deliver.