Smart Objects

                          Noam Chomsky, Professor Emeritus MIT

Smart objects are objects that have identifiers attached that can track information about the object or person they are tagged with. The use of smart objects in industry and education is now accelerating. Our small group came up with several ideas for the use of smart objects in education.

 If each student had information about her interests, learning profile, and readiness to learn (think reading or math levels) attached to a card that was worn at school, that information could be used to personalize or differentiate all of the student’s learning experiences. For example, when the student walked into the library a scanner would pick up the student’s reading level and interest area and guide the student to books that are a good match for her.

 As lessons are developed and perfected (think Japanese lesson study) they could be archived and matched to each student’s interests, learning profile and readiness level. (Let’s call this a student differentiation profile.) Eventually, a huge bank of such lessons with differentiated text sets and learning experiences would be available on the internet. Additionally, students could be matched with teachers who fit their differentiation profile. In this way, each student’s entire learning career would be readily accessible, personalized, and fungible.

 Perhaps someday our schools will be like an elegant restaurant offering a healthy and delectable smorgasbord for all the diners who intimately know what their current appetites, tastes, allergies, and longings for food are. Let’s see – I’ll have one art project, heavy on the Van Gogh (with a drizzle of Matisse) to go and two social studies units a la Chomsky sunny side up!