Found Will Richardson's blog tonight (he's the author of the book we were given at training, just in case you forgot: Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for the Classroom). The link to it is here. His entry from a couple of days ago resonates with me a bit... he makes the point that education is fairly slow to respond to the changing technology, and I think that for the most part, that statement is true, and it's a real problem. Education should be on the forefront of these changes, not bringing up the rear and only because we are being dragged kicking and screaming into doing so. I can think of more than a few of my colleagues (and not just teachers within the district) who are downright Luddite when it comes to the most basic technology, even email. We are in a society where that is no longer acceptable. Ultimately, I feel that our job is to prepare young people for successful lives beyond high school, regardless of how that looks, and if we do not do so, then we are failing our students, their parents, and ourselves. The world of the 21st century is technology based and technology driven. If we don't embrace it, we are dooming our children to be left far, far behind.
(Cross posted to my "teacher blog.")
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4 comments:
Hey Todd,
Thanks for the info. I am finding the more we all post, the more info I have to search through, and the harder it is to pull myself away from my computer! Just finished the book this morning!
Todd,
Will Richardson is no doubt the preeminent voice in 21st teaching and learning. I don't read his blog religiously, but I should be he routinely engages educators in this important conversation.
There is a role that we all must play in making this work. All of us from the board of education to the teachers in the classroom play a role.
Will Richardson always seems to be on the cutting edge, it was on his blog where I first learned about Johnny Chung Lee's Wii electronic whiteboard project. Regarding his post about education being slow to affect change, as they say, "it takes a village" I view all the GL'ers as village elders.
Todd,
I have had Will's book for a while now and just reviewed it in preparation for blog and wiki training. I found it interesting that he insists that a blog (especially on the student level) isn't a blog unless there is some linking to other information that demonstrates higher level thinking and synthesis of knowledge. Richardson seems to be someone who really insists on using technology in the right way in an educational setting. He's someone to keep reading.
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