A World without Walls: Learning Well with Others by Will Richardson is a powerful article about what we as teachers can do to lead our students to meaningful activities that involve collaboration with others. I was moved by eleven-year old Laura Stockman's story. She asked her blogging friends from all over the world to respond to her topic Twenty Five Days to Make a Difference. From this, she came up with service projects she was able to carry out in her hometown outside of Buffalo, New York.
Students are looking to their educators for guidance and we must be able to as Richardson puts it...locate and discern good information and good partners...and reflect with students on our successes and failures. There certainly are no easy answers, but we need to move in the right direction.
At the end of the article, Richardson reminds us that we must ourselves engage in these new technologies and expand our knowledge so that we can model for our students. We need to be able to show them how to grow and collaborate, and how be effective and safe in the world of technology.
Hi Alice,
ReplyDeleteRichardson's article is certainly powerful because of the challenge he issues to teachers in regards to technology. It seems we are at a crossroads where traditional classroom practices need to be meshed with the 21st century practices which call for more integration of technology. It is also imperative to note that the role of the teacher is essential to insure student learning. The human element, as well as building and nurturing professional and personal relationships with students is necessary for learning to be internalized. Your final paragraph clearly states this.
Scott Sevigny
It makes me wonder how teachers themselves are being taught how to "locate and discern good information and good partners". What tools can we use to find online collaborators? Where can I find some examples of existing collaborative lessons that actually apply to my own content area?
ReplyDeleteI agree that teachers need to know how to use the technology and be able to model it with kids. Encouraging teachers to take courses and also use technology in their personal lives, partly as practice but also to get, and keep them, enthusiastic about technology in the classroom.
ReplyDelete