Learning & Schools in a Connected World

I was fortunate to be able to join my Principal, +Gary Steiger and attend +Will Richardson's presentation "Educational Technology - Black Hole or Bright Light" at the Midwest Principal's Center. While the title of this workshop didn't blow me away - the topic, the presenter, and the follow-up discussions did. Will Richardson has penned several books on the topic of connected learning, including one of my favorite e-books, "Why School?"
You can follow the Twitter chat of today's session by searching #mpclearn. The accompanying Slideshare presentation can found at the bottom of this post.

Here are a few key points and resources that I made note of during the presentation...

We, as educators, are in the midst of a "Crisis of Learning Contexts" - Traditional Learning Context (familiar to politicians, parents, teachers, and communities) vs. Modern Learning Context (connected learning via the web) Connected technology is here to stay! The challenge is to adequately prepare students for modern, contemporary, connected learning.
The New Reality - Moving from Scarcity to Abundance (with respects to information). "All of the world's collective information can be accessed on a device that fits in my pocket." References to change agents; Larry Cuban, Clay Shirky, and Yvette Cameron
"Internet of Things" - stuff (appliances, accessories, clothing) will become web connected. Examples: +Project Glass and Twine.
The Digital Divide in 2013 means connected learners vs. disconnected learners
Living knowledge, Constant Learning - today's students need to learn to live in the "information flow". Workers need to be "nimble" and prepare for the fluidity of work and learning experiences. If people need to learn - they should "go learn". It is the individual's responsibility to stay current and to keep learning.
A good goal for our students - become "Googled-Well" under their full names by high school graduation. Create a positive digital footprint. An online resume of your professional / educational accomplishments or "learnings". Publish authentic solutions to authentic problems for authentic audiences. MORE - engagement, opportunity, intensity, pressure. More paths to solutions - the traditional path no longer exists.
"Don't make kids college ready - make them learning ready" - Degreed (scores lifelong education)
Personalized learning is different that Personal learning (the learner chooses) - Ten Tips for Personalized Learning - +Edudemic Gaming and gamification of learning will become huge - while traditional grading and standardized tests are likely to disappear.
Connected Learning - Networks (PLN) are the classrooms of the modern learning age (Mimi Ito)
In the future, bi-lingual will mean language (English) + programming language.

Key Questions

What do students need to learn in school during a time when they can learn so much without educators?
In a world of abundance, what do students really need to know?
What is the value of school during a time when we don't need school to do school?

That which cannot be "Khanified" is what needs to be learned in school. Real work for real audiences. Create dispositions for students - self-regulated, persistent learners wanting to learn more.

Learners first - teachers second +Jay Cross. Adults need to learn and use technology well - become models for students.

NY Times - "Snowfall" - example of digital storytelling, engaging / interactive text - Students need to learn to read and to create multi-media texts.

Examples of Bold, Innovative Schools

Favorite Tools for Connected Learning (links to videos)

Twitter (cast a wide net, know what @ and # can do)
Google Reader in Plain English
IFTTT - IFTTT-101
Evernote

What Teachers Can Learn From Effective Coaches

In my educational world teaching and coaching involve the same processes. The people that impacted my own learning most significantly were coaches. Could it be that great coaches were ahead of their time with respects to instructional best practices? Let's take a look at ten coaching practices that thankfully have found their way into the classroom. http://www.coachwooden.com/files/PyramidThinkingSuccess.jpg Standards-based Grading - coaches aren't concerned with arbitrary measures of success such as letter grades. Great coaches identify a requisite set of skills that are necessary for advancement and success. Promotion and achievement are based upon clearly identified levels of skill mastery. Authentic assessment - coaches are looking for their athletes to demonstrate their skill mastery under game-like situations. The best coaches incorporate game simulations and competitive, game-like drills into their practices. Winning coaches will use the contests as assess

Board Games in the School Library: 3 Reasons Why It's a Winning Play

"Play is the highest form of research." - Albert Einstein “Play is the work of the child.” – Maria Montessori In our recently remodeled school media center, we have a space dedicated to active engagement in fun learning activities. Part maker space, part literacy lounge, board games are being incorporated to promote a culture of joyful learning. Whether it's a game of Rummy , Yahtzee , or Scrabble , family game night serves as a communication elixir and solidifies our domestic climate of togetherness. Shouldn't similar opportunities for interaction, challenge, and fun exist somewhere in our schools? Broken families, cultural fragmentation, and poverty are impacting opportunities for children to play. As we unpacked and tagged our new media center games, I was more disappointed than shocked by the number of students who had never played Monopoly , Boggle , or Sorry . One skeptical teacher commented, "Oh great, now we're letting students pl

Self-Directed vs. Self-Determined Learning; What's the Difference?

"We need to move beyond the idea that an education is something that is provided for us, and toward the idea that an education is something that we create for ourselves." - Stephen Downes In this age of abundance of information, shifting classroom pedagogy isn't nearly enough to make learning in school more relevant and authentic for the learner. Self-directed learning ( andragogy ), and self-determined learning ( heutagogy ) are the ideals necessary in making students " future ready " to live and learn in a web-connected world. While original research applied these concepts to mature learners, it has become apparent that even young children have an abundant capacity for recognizing and directing their learning. Anyone who has observed toddlers learning how to walk and talk understand the motivation and skill development that quickly develops during these processes. Considered by some to be on a learning continuum, self-directed learning, and self-determined

Nocking the Arrow

Search This Blog