Sliced Bread

With DER NSW laptops arriving, it’s time to ponder a few learning thought provokers.
In Edutopia’s 10 minute video, Henry Jenkins succinctly raises some of the contemporary learning discussions still needed by DETs & in schools. Shiny baubles do not a revolution make.

Amongst many points Henry asks learners to consider; (my italics)

• Filtering & blocking (child protection, duty of care)
• tech access, equity & the participation gap (haves & have nots)
• validation of more diverse learning experiences (Is the HSC broken?)
• bury the simplistic “immigrant and native” furphy (finally, please)
• ethics, responsiblity & accountability of knowledge production (digital citizenship)
• authentic connections with and for learners (walled gardens vs real world)
• Will open source exchange based on discernment and trust be realised? (network solvent vs community glue)
• Developing judgement, networking, appropriation skills (teaching)
• virtual communities & games as learning (Now pedagogy)
  
  

Edutopia, “What Works in Public Education” has more on their Digital Generation project.    

Whilst in other news, Scott McLeod comments at Dangerously Irrelevant “Can’t wait to see who has a leg up in a decade or two.”

That may ultimately be a crucial assessment litmus for 1:1 etal ICT.

But thats way too long, and damaging, to wait. Especially if  the baubles of now become more of what ICT has been.

What is your “new” first priority in regard to fundamentally shifting learning ?

I enjoyed

• Five Recommended Readings?
• Participatory Media Literacy. Why it matters?
• Waking up to the Economies of Networked Learning
• Newspapers & thinking the unthinkable
• Transforming Schools for the Future
• Digital Youth Project summary
• Fluid Learning

The DER NSW rollout train is (maybe? finally?) chugging into a platform near you. 

Check out DET (spin) tape. Ignore the, thankfully minimal, political rhetoric. Make no mistake, the NSW DER is a BIGGY. Lets hope it’s also right. 

I’ll get year 9 to critique it to their exacting standards on Monday.

At least now with the learning ’tube unblocked, we can even watch our NSW Public Schools Channel. Good move DET meisters. The kiddies love you more for it already.

Hang on tight, the disruptive ”ready, fire, aim” ICT approach is doing nothing if not promoting more professional dialogue where it matters; in the schools. I like it. Saturation, tipping points, just do it and they have.

The classroom chat and attitudes from the wise ones ranges from “too cool for school” to uber excitement. Paperweights to powerful connections?  Real learners & leaders will float to the surface and continue to drive the changes needed.

Stu Hasic eloquently summarises the DER history far better than I. He asks ”Is this technically the best 1:1 rollout in the world?” 

Probably is, but you know what? As a non techie type, I don’t give a hoot about technical, I just want engaged learners, and if this tech helps achieve it, then thats what we’ll give ‘em. Not too much to ask, is it?

(And so ends my 5 month blog sabatical. Thanks all for tweets & emails. And you know what? Not much really changed at all.Oh, & Happy Birthday Me.)

1:1 resources

• School Development Days (PLLD)
• Online Communication Tools
• Leading faculties & the DER
• DER Laptops Forum
• Cli cks July09 Newsletter  
• Macquarie ICT Centre Web2.0 Resources

Student led professional development sessions for teachers should become the norm. Why? See list below.

Real student voice, not tokenistic, not patronising, not fly on the wall static attendance but authentic participative involvement by students as leaders of their own learning.

I’d like to attend PD like this. Teams of apprentice learners (students) demonstrating practical applications of keynoters/adult/master learners theories. 21st Century classrooms in action at PD events.

If the presented theories can’t be applied, haven’t been assessed or students don’t demonstrate, (digitally or F2F) then maybe that is PD I don’t want to attend anyway.

The recent AeA 21st Century learning Symposium involved master student keynoters. They inspired.

Certainly not unique to this symposium, many conferences use student keynoters, but as the supportive “36 year educator” in the audience says;

that success story is really important, our educators need to hear from you, your work, creativity, presentation is phenomenal work … I am very very proud of you, I tell you, you just made my whole year.

I trust what was demonstrated was applied in that speakers school from the next Monday. I am sure it was.

If you extract, go a little deeper and reflect on what these Year 8 students actually accomplished it should now be compulsory for all 21st Century conferences to invite student co-learners to present.

The learning demonstrated by these emerging, but already proficient, keynoters is a powerful example of;

• quality summative assessment of project based learning (eportflios)
• ownership, confidence and enthusiasm (doing not just saying)
• evidence of high levels of student engagement (21st C learning via walking the walk)
• H.O.T. skills as a starting base (raising the expectation bar)
• innovative application of digital learning tools (fluency not just digital literacy)
• articulate, real world communication skills (face to face quality public speaking)
• 21st century learning by the learners who really matter (students are our core focus)
• the future redundancy of uninspiring theory/data lecturers (FIGJAMers gone, yay.)

It seems these learners

1. choose a relevant PBL 21st century task
2. capture the formal and informal learning process with the intent to share
3. during and on completion, demonstrate/present to an authentic audience.
4. are formatively assessed by global networks
5. use quality, rigorous and repeatable assessment

Your process will be a future litmus for transformative learning. Open sourced, highly integrated tech focus, one to one projects, high academic standards an an overarching sense of learning fun and community involvement.

Yes Lincoln Magnet School, and the broader Springfield Public School District 186 you have every right to be proud. Your school is obviously a leader in the 21st century.

Top job, well done.