It has been fascinating observing the ebb and flow of ideas on education in social media and on twitter, in particular. When I became active on twitter last fall, tweets centered on Web 2.0 tools. It was all about the tools and the phrase Web 2.0 was bandied about as we excitedly explored our options and experimented in our classrooms. Now I rarely see the term. It has become simply: tools - no defining terminology necessary.
With the exploration of the tools came the revelation of exceptional creativity and willingness of educators to embrace technology and share how to use these tools in our classrooms. I tip my hat to Aviva Dunsinger (@grade1 on twitter) who showed as all that grade 1 is a whole new world once students have access to the tools.
The tweet topics then shifted to a growing awareness of the power of our global professional learning networks and the impact they are having on our classrooms. To suddenly have access to thousands of knowledgeable, skilled and dedicated educators, as well as to talented innovators from other professions has left me in awe.
Within this network came the discovery that we no longer need to invent tasks for our students that mimic the real world. Instead, students can actively engage directly in meaningful work that has impact. They can set their own agendas, build collaborative teams and work to accomplish a task. 'Two remarkable projects that demonstrate this are The Thomas Tallis School of Creativity's new uniform project. Students worked with designers, sourced eco-friendly fabrics, surveyed the community, debated through social media and finally settled on a design. http://tallisuniform.tumblr.com/The%20Brief for their new uniforms.
A second remarkable project involved redesigning classroom furniture. Students at http://theschool.columbia.edu/ worked directly with professionals to create prototypes and finished products. http://www.fastcompany.com/pics/kids-can-create. People who have to use the furniture (ie students) designed it to meet their own needs. They thought of design elements that address their frustrations in dealing with their work and storage spaces. Brilliant!
What stands out for educators who are involved in this kind of work is the exceptional level of engagement and commitment from students that authentic, real world learning provides. Social Media enables us to connect with expertise so that these types of projects can proceed. My own class has learned that we can connect globally with anyone to accomplish anything.
So what's next? Where's this going? A new thread is emerging and about to explode and it has me more excited than anything so far. Students are beginning to build their own professional learning networks to pursue their own goals. Tom Whitby has noticed it. http://tomwhitby.wordpress.com/2011/06/30/a-digital-social-media-educator-in-an-analog-system/ (See the last paragraph of his post) Others are beginning to mention it.
I've observed this in a few of my own students: the ones who've not just completed an app, but have seen the bigger picture. They are beginning to use social media not just for typical preteen and teen interactions but to reach out to those from whom they wish to learn. This has been an indirect result of my teaching practice this year. My role now becomes to assist them in learning how to do this well.
Which leads to a dilemna for me as an educator. I feel an incredible sense of responsibility and commitment to this group of students who are now moving on. They are beginning to build a different digital footprint and I want them to be successful in the process. Their footprint now has greater consequences and I don't feel that I can just abandon them to explore PLN's on their own. We've built an exceptional collaborative team that has only just begun it's work and there is a core group who feels that our work is not yet done.
As we redesign and explore models of education how do we factor in that we're not just teachers-students-classrooms anymore? We're collaborative teams in the process of learning. When students are committed to learning why should they be cut off in June simply because of grade levels and school calendars? It's a question that we'll need to address and a discussion that must happen soon.
With the exploration of the tools came the revelation of exceptional creativity and willingness of educators to embrace technology and share how to use these tools in our classrooms. I tip my hat to Aviva Dunsinger (@grade1 on twitter) who showed as all that grade 1 is a whole new world once students have access to the tools.
The tweet topics then shifted to a growing awareness of the power of our global professional learning networks and the impact they are having on our classrooms. To suddenly have access to thousands of knowledgeable, skilled and dedicated educators, as well as to talented innovators from other professions has left me in awe.
Within this network came the discovery that we no longer need to invent tasks for our students that mimic the real world. Instead, students can actively engage directly in meaningful work that has impact. They can set their own agendas, build collaborative teams and work to accomplish a task. 'Two remarkable projects that demonstrate this are The Thomas Tallis School of Creativity's new uniform project. Students worked with designers, sourced eco-friendly fabrics, surveyed the community, debated through social media and finally settled on a design. http://tallisuniform.tumblr.com/The%20Brief for their new uniforms.
A second remarkable project involved redesigning classroom furniture. Students at http://theschool.columbia.edu/ worked directly with professionals to create prototypes and finished products. http://www.fastcompany.com/pics/kids-can-create. People who have to use the furniture (ie students) designed it to meet their own needs. They thought of design elements that address their frustrations in dealing with their work and storage spaces. Brilliant!
What stands out for educators who are involved in this kind of work is the exceptional level of engagement and commitment from students that authentic, real world learning provides. Social Media enables us to connect with expertise so that these types of projects can proceed. My own class has learned that we can connect globally with anyone to accomplish anything.
So what's next? Where's this going? A new thread is emerging and about to explode and it has me more excited than anything so far. Students are beginning to build their own professional learning networks to pursue their own goals. Tom Whitby has noticed it. http://tomwhitby.wordpress.com/2011/06/30/a-digital-social-media-educator-in-an-analog-system/ (See the last paragraph of his post) Others are beginning to mention it.
I've observed this in a few of my own students: the ones who've not just completed an app, but have seen the bigger picture. They are beginning to use social media not just for typical preteen and teen interactions but to reach out to those from whom they wish to learn. This has been an indirect result of my teaching practice this year. My role now becomes to assist them in learning how to do this well.
Which leads to a dilemna for me as an educator. I feel an incredible sense of responsibility and commitment to this group of students who are now moving on. They are beginning to build a different digital footprint and I want them to be successful in the process. Their footprint now has greater consequences and I don't feel that I can just abandon them to explore PLN's on their own. We've built an exceptional collaborative team that has only just begun it's work and there is a core group who feels that our work is not yet done.
As we redesign and explore models of education how do we factor in that we're not just teachers-students-classrooms anymore? We're collaborative teams in the process of learning. When students are committed to learning why should they be cut off in June simply because of grade levels and school calendars? It's a question that we'll need to address and a discussion that must happen soon.
Thanks for including our new uniform design project in your evaluation of good practice Heidi. I love what you say here about collaboration and engagement and that young and older learners alike can take this journey together.
ReplyDeleteHi, Jon, I was pleased to mention your project. I tell everyone I know to visit the Tallis School site. I think the work you are doing is amazing.
ReplyDelete