My day of transformation - "Networking the New Literacy"

I was feeling pretty good about our technology integration during year two of our one-to-one initiative. Then yesterday's session with Will Richardson went down. I now have a clearer vision of where we're heading.

While I'm more inspired today, by his words and the work going on in several district's in the state, I'm reassessing where CAM High School is as a building. You see we may be falling short in the area of teaching students how to access the learning communities in "the cloud".

Personally, I'm just starting to establish a learning network and my eyes are opening wide to the possibilities. I now see how several colleagues can wax on so eloquently about their vision and where their districts are heading.

My biggest take aways from yesterday.

The Shift - Education will change. How and when is uncertain, but the facts are the abundance of learning tools online, and the networks you can join and become a part of, means it will either change willingly, or kicking and screaming. My bet is on the later. Allowing students to network with "anyone" is inconceivable to many people. Even though outside of the school day they will be doing that anyway.

We need to unblock everything and teach everything - If not us, then who? 'Nuff said. Get it done, address patron's fears, teacher's fears, everyone's fears head on. Teach Digital citizenship, how to use social networks for learning and that's for everyone.

Bring everyone together - Sure we got everyone on board for one-to-one computers. That wasn't that hard of a sell. The problem is until 24 hours ago, I didn't exactly know what I was selling. This conversation will be different..vastly different.

We/students need to be Googleable - Student's need to be found in the cloud and their work needs to reflect positively on their new literacy skills. This goes against many people's ingrained mis-conceptions.

We need to dive into the CLOUD head first - Get your PLN set up, get your teachers involved in setting up a PLN and get your student's work out there for everyone to see and then promote it!

We need to get moving now, get teachers involved and get everyone to the table. These are exciting times, but we have to be ready to empower patrons and faculty to overcome their fears.

The students don't have them.

"You Tweet???"

I'll admit. Twitter was a just another one of those Web 2.0 applications that I just didn't want to deal with. After all it was getting athletes and celebrities in instant trouble. Sarah Palin Tweeted...It just wasn't for me.

Folks, we live in a world where you need to embrace and at least try EVERYTHING that comes out new and gets buzz. Yes, everything has their trivial and meaningless side. But EVERYTHING has it's beneficial and productive side.

And the beauty is ... you can do both ... alternatively at the same time. As I check email, facebook or edit personal pictures, Tweetdeck (a twitter application) buzzes me with education posts that my professional network is tweeting.

Most of the Twittering I do as to do with Technology in education. There is a nightly discussion on education issues at "educhat". The information that I read and see is relevant, interesting and mostly backed with real data.

What if we did that with students in our district with students across the country?

Twitter is amazing. Twitter is trivial. That can be said for a lot of Web 2.0 applications.

I was just invited to check out Google Wave...the next new thing from Google.

It just keeps coming