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NECC Debates Future of "Bricks and Mortar" Schools

Thousands of attendees at the International Society of Technology in Education’s (ISTE) National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) and thousands more online participated in an Oxford-style debate June 30, 2009.  Moderated by Robert Siegel of NPR, the debate tackled the proposition, "Bricks and mortar schools are detrimental to the future of education."

Debate panelists included two high school students from the National Forensics League as well as four industry experts. Summing up the argument for the proposition, high school senior Marshall Thompson from Bethesda, Maryland asserted that, "We have the capacity to live internationally … [and]… we need education to be an integral part of our lives at all times…not just in [bricks and mortar] schools eight hours a day."

Summing up the argument against the proposition, Erik Hakke, high school senior from Springfield, Virginia, stated, "We all have one need we share and that's to work in a group setting and to work as a team. It's through the excitement and enthusiasm of teachers and faculty that we’re introduced to our loves and skills."

Thompson's team included educator and author Michael Horn, and Gary Stager of the Constructivist Consortium.  Hakke's team included Brad Jupp, senior advisor to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Cheryl Lemke, CEO of The Metiri Group. 

The keynote included an audience vote before and after the debate and questions from conference attendees and participants online via ISTEConnects (www.isteconnects.org).

Apparently persuaded by Hakke and his team’s argument that we need both physical schools as well as a re-imagined integration of technology in the classroom, the concluding vote showed 74 percent of the audience agreed that bricks and mortar schools are NOT detrimental to the future of education.

About ISTE

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is the premier membership association for educators and education leaders engaged in improving teaching and learning by advancing the effective use of technology in PK-12 and teacher education.

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