Will Richardson Presented Today
Posted by mevingham on September 2, 2009
Will Richardson presented at our district today. Here my initial thoughts in “listy” form.
- Will mentioned a shift in calling social networks to calling them learning networks. I agree with that so much. I learn a great deal even from those sources that I can consider more social than professional. On Facebook, which I use mostly for social reasons, I can put out a question, and because of the variety of backgrounds and resources from others, I get answers and assistance right away.
- He shared his resources on his wikispace. I just shared his wikispace and blog with my colleagues at school because many were asking for it. I just read his most recent blog post. He referenced one of our teachers. That is cool. (I am thinking he is writing in the airport.) He referenced his frustration with progress. I think we all feel the frustration of the slow pace of progress. We have to get the infrastructure in place to make more happen. Infrastructure – check. Teachers have to have access to the tools to learn and grow. Open access for teachers – check. Now we can continue to talk pedagogy and get deeper in our conversations. Let us all be a part of the solution to continue to prepare our students for a future we can’t even imagine.
- Will shared with us a great video created by a young man in Canada. This You Tube video was so awesome to demonstrate a young person’s use of web 2.0 tools. He asked the “whole world” for help. How cool is that? I had no idea that 4.5 years worth of video is published DAILY on You Tube. Fanfiction continues to amaze me. Can you imagine that over 400,000 people have written about Harry Potter including new chapters and different versions?
- Will suggested Clay Shirky’s book, Here Come Everybody. I will be sure to add it to my reading list as I am intrigued by the fact that the internet is so powerful when it comes to organizing groups for a common purpose or passion. This certainly is a cultural change. AND that is what has to happen in our school systems as well. Will is right. This is about culture. It is about pedagogy. It is not about technology. There is a literacy that is required to weave through these tools and use them well. I don’t know about my colleagues, but I certainly have much more to learn about these literacies.
- Will shared a few sites and videos that I had not seen before. This You Tube Video is about the power of organizing against a company that was not providing quality service. This site brings up a whole lot of discussion about copyright internationally!
- I think that the two key vocabulary words for me throughout the presentation were: hyperconnected and hypertransparent. These are two words that certainly can explain our students now!
- Will shared a goal that he wishes all schools had in place. – Students will create, navigate and grow their own personal learning network in safe, effective and ethical ways. WOW! That is a great goal and really makes sense in the context of what Will shared with us about students’ futures and the competitive market. I loved the idea of assisting students in creating a digital footprint, one to be proud of and to use and grow when they walk out of our district. Building a digital footprint is something that isn’t easy, but it is certainly something that tells a great story of your work, your beliefs, your passions, and your life. The phrase that made me smile in this context was “reputation management.” After story after story of students and young adults making the wrong decisions using web 2.0, I am convinced that “reputation management” is not a bad thing for schools to tackle and embed in the curriculum. I am not sure any of us realize how transparent we really are on the web.
- One teacher had told Will that he has “thin classroom walls.” Our walls will get thinner and thinner as we think about the access we have to others around the world! Many are doing it now. Access to information is amazing. Just text Google and get an answer in minutes. We can create independent learners and not always have students dependent on us for knowledge.
- Free textbooks and books, no money needs and updated! – http://about.ck12.org/, http://www.bookglutton.com/
- Kids and adults are reading and writing in a linked environment every day. Where is that in our curriculum? I think this struck me the most. I am an avid internet user like most educators. How do we translate our strategies that work to students so that they are successful learners? It is not easy to read and write in a linked environment. It takes time and thinking! Will referenced etherpad which I know our Intermediate School students have used to write collaboratively.
- Just a few examples were included of how students are publishing. Flat Classroom Project and Radio WillowWeb (we listened to Ants) are just two examples of the range of work that can be done within a classroom with walls.
- To steal some words from Will Richardson, we just need a little bit of imagination and a little courage to assist in creating and changing the world.
