Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Do they get it?

I am finally reading Clay Shirky's book, Here Comes Everybody. I know, I should have read it months ago like the rest of the world, but if you haven't read it yet either, it still resonates even in this rapidly changing world. Listen to this:

"When I was a teenager, I remember reading letters to the editor in my local paper, where the grown-ups were arguing about whether to allow students to use calculators. The unspoken worry was that since calculators had appeared so suddenly, they might disappear just as suddenly. What none of the grown-ups in that conversation understood was that there would never again be a day when we needed to divide two seven-digit numbers on paper. What seemed to them like a provisional new capability was actually a deep and permanent shift, one we students recognized immediately" (Shirky 294).

Do all of your students get this today about the web and all of its possibilities? To be honest, I am not sure all of mine do, and that is why this quote makes me think so much. As a teacher, I feel so often on the back-end of the "Web 2.0" movement -- barely hanging on. Yet, for some (many?) of my students, I am pulling them along. I am showing them not only, to keep Shirky's metaphor going, why this calculator is here to stay but also why they should be recognizing this as part of THEIR worlds.

So in the end, am I in front or back?

9 comments:

  1. As teacher you are not in the front of the bus or the back; you are the driver!

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  2. You pulled me out of my google reader for this one. I don't think it matters where you are on the web 2.0 scale but more how you use the new tech to improve one's work flow. I could do one project a million different ways on the web, using all sorts of cool new things, but if they aren't actually making my work flow more efficient then who cares if I have web 2.0 or 3.0 (yes it's close to fruition).

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  3. Phil,
    Thanks for leaving Google Reader land :) Do you get the sense that an average high school student sees this like you do? Sees that these tools CAN improve work flow versus just doing it the "same old way"? You make an excellent point that this should be the goal, and I try to use tech tools only for this goal. But there can still be pushback from students about why they have to learn "x" new tool -- which makes me wonder if they can see the value. I tell them the value, but being told something never sinks in as much as seeing it yourself. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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  4. Katie,
    Is it odd that we, as people new to this Web 2.0 (3.0?) world, versus the students who have grown up in this world, should be the drivers? I feel like Shirky's quote says the opposite -- that it is the younger generation that takes the driver's seat, and as much as I like to think of myself as younger :), I know I did not grow up with these tools. Should our students be the drivers in understanding this permanent shift? And are they?

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  5. I wonder id this is this a lack of motiation to learn or just a lack of motivation to learn a new way of learning. If a tool is not going to save me time, make my life easier, or make something better then why use it. There are probably examples of these new tools being used both for good uses and ones that could be better. In my opinion slot of web 2.0 is junk but thief are definatly a bunch of good tools that I used frequently. Right how I have all my television download in the quality I like and in the format I like all automatically. It's not till technology does what you want when you want and makes life easier that you appriciate it.

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  6. We had a long talk about this in class this morning. The ninth-graders are beginning to get it. But until we all use the tools (as Philip and Chris said) for meaningful learning, they won't get it. This class benefits from the more student-centered teaching we are doing--they are more creative, more likely to express their opinions, more likely to feel they are empowered to change things. It's coming. (And I agree with K. You are driving!)

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  7. @snobles I really don't know if the average student would really dive deep into web 2.0 to stream their workflow. Honestly a lot of the things that FA did with web 2.0 was not bad but not worthwhile. Some of it was great but there will always be a time where just doing it the old fashion way is better. All you have to do is show the students what's possible and let them decide, there is more than one way to learn I guess is my point.

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  8. I like Phil's final point about more than one way to learn. I want to help my students find tools to help them learn in the ways that they learn best. As students, they are still discovering the methods that work best for them as learners, and I try to put this in the forefront when planning my classes. As do all of you.

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  9. I wonder what Phil thinks is worthwhile, and I ask that honestly as one who wants to use tools effectively. As I watch my current ninth-graders use online tools, I see them thinking, debating, creating...and I do think it is worthwhile. I hope I am pushing them to think and not be waiting for me to tell them WHAT to think. The sharing and publishing enable us to discuss and reflect, which make the learning powerful. It puts us on the same playing field, doesn't allow students to hide behind their notebook, and challenges them to participate. That's what I'm seeing, Philip:)Would love more of your thoughts...

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