The way to 21st Century Learning
Posted by: Dennis Harter in 21st century learner, Learning, ProD, Web 2.0Will Richardson suggests that we need to get educators on board with the read/write web, before we can really hope to make widespread change in education. I commented on his post (as the 100th commenter!!!) that while this is incredibly important, real change can also happen as we continue to engage students in this way.
Of course, a full faculty of web 2.0 fluent teachers is bound to lead to engaged student learners writing and collaborating online, but a growing student group trained in the power of the tools, versed in the possibilities of a world wide audience of readers, writers, and collaborators can also force change.
Secondly, Will also points out that those without a voice online are losing “credibility” with him. His reading is online, his network is online, and he learns online, so if you aren’t online, then do you have something of value? Will is a very smart man, which I’ve said before, but in this case I have to disagree or at least tread lightly. He takes an extreme position to make a point, but in truth there are a lot of educators who don’t blog, wiki, or twitter, but who do in fact engage kids and TEACH. And they get that these tools can be powerful learning devices.
To undersell that voice in a learning network that should include personal contact and professional learning opportunities at our own schools is to miss out on real voices positively influencing children.
On a final note, what I think about most about after reading Will’s post is what to do next?
Will is right…we need to get teachers on board. We need administrators who prioritize this alongside the other priorities of a school, rather than an add-on from the tech guys. But our voices are starting to echo in the spread out, but still small world of the edu-blogosphere.
We blog, therefore we buy-in (for the most part).
The big ideas are good. We agree to complain about the same issues.
Now it’s time to bust out of our discussion of those big ideas that we wonder why people aren’t doing…and start talking about how we are going make it happen.
- What are the best ways to get teachers on board?
- How can administrators be convinced of this need?
- How can curriculum be re-shaped without stepping on the toes of existing content curriculum?
We all agree…let’s start working on the ones who don’t.
Image: Change Direction by Phillie Casablanca, found at Flickr Creative Commons
Tags: ProD, web2.0, willrichardson
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March 13th, 2008 at 10:08 am
What are the best ways to get teachers on board?
Dennis, topical for us since we are currently tossing ideas around for next year’s Professional Development. Not sure if ISB is similar to ISKL but in discussion with a colleague (Charlotte) noticed we have a lot of whole school PD (i.e. Differentiation, Understanding by Design etc.) and with our Tech Facilitators we have a lot of 1-1 highly individualized PD. Our missing piece is the smaller focus groups of 6-10, with a common interest. Not saying this is THE answer, but definitely worth a try.
How can administrators be convinced of this need?
At the moment the push seems to be bottom-up, I’m not sure administrators will be convinced until there is a top down push. By top down, I’m thinking when those who set external assessment pieces, standardized tests etc. consider “21st Century skills/Information literacy” a critical piece. Therefore, my question back to you is ‘how are administrators assessed at ISB?’ The answer to this question would go along way to answering “How can administrators be convinced of this need?”
How can curriculum be re-shaped without stepping on the toes of existing content curriculum? Toes must be stepped on if not stomped on
March 15th, 2008 at 11:03 am
One of the best ways I believe to get teachers on board is to take a core team and invest the hardware and time into them to teach them how to integrate technology into what they do. It adds richness and meaning and building global networking skills and connections from classroom to classroom is what will really transform education from the sage on the stage giver of knowledge into the methods we want which is teaching students to be sifters and finders of the information available in the digital age.
Schools will change or they face being irrelevant but it will take core groups pushing and pushing. After a year of intensive training and effort this core group can then bring these skills to the rest of the school community.
March 17th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Chad,
Administrators in general answer to parents whose understanding of what schools need to be often mirrors their own experience in schools decades ago. This is not a sufficient check and balance. Instead perhaps what we need is a large enough group of faculty convinced of the need pressuring from the bottom down as you suggest so that the administration buys in. As for curriculum, rarely do the people in I.T. have the authority to change school-wide curriculum…one step at a time, I guess.
Charlie,
Your solution speaks to the need Chad brings up. Yes, we need that core group of faculty to see the worth, and believe in the richness of the learning opportunities that they afford. The difficulties I see are that to get this buy-in, we need time and that time would best come from school supported PD time dedicated to these skills. To get that time, we need admin buy-in….to get admin buy-in we need faculty push…you see where I am going….we need to get in there, but it keeps cycling around and around. It’s like jumping on a merry go round that is spinning, it’s hard to get in there!
But that doesn’t mean we don’t try!!!
Thanks for the comments guys.
March 24th, 2008 at 8:28 am
As an administrator, I agree…but I’m in the powerless Instructional Technology group. But am I so powerless? Hmm…maybe, a few steps I could take might include:
1) Compellingly share my use of Read/Write Web technologies
2) Show how they impact professional learning for classroom teachers and leaders
3) Use humor to suggest different ways of accomplishing tasks. “Folks, how about using a wiki so that we don’t have to email documents to each other all the time and wonder who has the latest version?”
4) Highlight use of technology that meet my expectations for RWW uses.
5) Institute the levels of technology implementation (LOTI) assessment, remind everyone that we need a framework for talking/measuring forward movement, and emphasize that we have to achieve level 5 of technology implementation–extending learning and creative collaboration beyond the classroom.
Wishing you well and hoping to some day be your 100th commenter,
Miguel Guhlin
Around the Corner-MGuhlin.net
http://mguhlin.net
March 24th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Miguel,
Thanks. Your 5 suggestions are right on. These are the ways that we have to affect change - at the personal level. How can these tools work for you, how do they work for me, what can they do for all of us, and finally, most importantly, what can they do to extend learning - as you so eloquently put it.
I hope that people swing by this post still, so that they see your comment. While we continue to “wait” for school-wide change, we can actually drive change a teacher/department/division at a time.
100 comments on my blog…I don’t even get 100 readers!
May 13th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
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