Ann+Hanaway

Ann Hanaway's Page Kids now a days never remember not being connected. Vacation is never being totally disconnected. In the digital age work is always with you. Face to face interaction is growing more and more rare. Completely wired every minute. Is it rude to be in a group of friends and texting others or checking mail at the same time? Doing many things but doing them throughly or doing them well?? Students distracted by so many things. Multitasking environment does not allow students to do one thing well.

Jill: I think this is so true--I hear my students always talking about getting up to watch TV or playing video games at night. I even heard one of my fourth graders this year ask another student who mentioned something about reading, "Reading--who does that in their free time?" Kids today are on a total technology high. It is very hard for many of them to focus on one thing at a time in school because they always want to start the next thing, but I know that if they try doing both at the same time, neither will be done well.

"They're creating all sorts of content—some, as we all know, doing so very badly—and they're doing all sorts of things with online tools that, for the most part, we're not teaching them anything about. In the process, they're becoming Googleable without us. By and large, they do all this creating, publishing, and learning on their own, outside school, because when they enter the classroom, they typically "turn off the lights" (Prensky, 2008

Jill: A fellow teacher and I were talking about this whole Google problem this year. Our fourth graders each choose a state to research for the "State Fair." They have to find otu everything on their state--symbols, population, landforms, etc. Because our students have grown up with technology and especially computers and the internet, they have no idea how to find information if they can't type it into Google and have it pop up. Even when they had a book completely about their state in front of them, they were unable to use the index, table of contents, headings, etc. to find the information they needed. Is that a skill they will even need in the future? Should we be spending time teaching them how to use a table of contents, index, glossary, etc.?

"What we say today in our blogs and videos will persist long into the future and not simply end up in the paper recycling bin when we clean out our desks at the end of the year. What we say is copyable; others can take it, use it, or change it with ease, making our ability to edit content and comprehend the ethical use of the content we read even more crucial. The things we create are searchable to an extent never before imagined and will be viewed by all sorts of audiences, both intended and unintended." Footprints in the Digital Age Will Richardson Jill: I really don't think that students get that what ever they put out there (on the internet) is there forever, even if they think they've deleted it. Many students use for entertainment purposes only and are not media literate. What is 21st Century education

When do teacher shut work off at the end of the day. Example globally: We may be winding down for the end of the work day but China and or India my just be starting their day and want to collaborage. Jill: Shutting off is hard for me. I find myself always checking my school email when I'm not in school--on the weekends, at night, during the summer. I don't know why I can't just wait until I get to school. Maybe I'm afraid I'll miss something...although rarely is anything from school that important that it can't wait til the next morning. Schools are not longer building with desks but student with devices to connect to the world. (Global Classroom) Students must be resourceful and highly motivated. Performances, projects and multiple forms of media are used for learning and assessment. Curriculum is connected to students’ interests, experiences, talents and the real world. Student work is not only assesst by the teacher but also by peers and public audience.

The curriculum is not textbook-driven or fragmented, but is thematic, project-based and integrated. Skills and content are not taught as an end in themselves, but students learn them through their research and application in their projects. Textbooks, if they have them, are just one of many resources.

Jill: I feel like our school is a long way from this type of teaching and learning. I think it is a much better way to teach, but it will take a long time for us to get there. I think it will be a big adjustment for teachers to shift their instructional techniques to a more project based approach.

Writing in the 21st Century: As Jennifer Monaghan and Wendy Saul explain,

"Writing has never been accorded the cultural respect or the support that reading has enjoyed, in part because through reading, society could control its citizens, whereas through writing, citizens might exercise their own control." I agree with this quote. Reading and listening to adults were what was stressed in school to impress others values on students.

"With digital technology and, especially Web 2.0, it seems, writers are *everywhere* —on bulletin boards and in chat rooms and in emails and in text messages and on blogs responding to news reports and, indeed, reporting the news themselves as I-reporters. Such writing is what Deborah Brandt has called self-sponsored writing: a writing that belongs to the writer, not to an institution, with the result that people—students, senior citizens, employees, volunteers, family members, sensible // and // non-sensible people alike—want to compose and do—on the page and on the screen and on the network—// to each other" // We write to share our ideas/thoughts. To participate in dialoge by writing for example facebook posts, tweets, blogs etc

Teach kids to always verify what they get from online resources. They need the critical thinking skills to determine what is true/fact. They need to know how to search for the facts/ to map it backwards to the source. Think and discriminate. Hate Directory??

Jill: Many of our students think that if it is on the internet, it is the truth. Kathy Schrock had some really good questions that we could train students to ask when they are examining websites. Creating a new culture of teaching and Learning: Teach the teacher tecnology with the students involvement. Understand the impact of technology on how the students learn. It is about communication information and relationships not technology.

Wikipedia in the classroom: Wikipedia can be place to start or a place to show students about truth and facts with internet searches. Never use just one site. It is a basic reference source and it should be used to get a general overview of a topic or put a topic in context. It should not be used as a final authoritative source.

Jill: I was surpised at the number of people that go on Wikipedia every day and the number of entries they had. I guess it makes sense, but I never thought about it that way. If someone thought of it, they could make an entry for it on Wikipedia.

** ﻿3 Insites: ** Multitasking does not allow students to do one thing well. Student must realize that what they put out online will remain there for a very long time and others can take it, use it and change it at any time. Students need to learn critical thinking skills so they can determine what is fact while doing online research.

** Questions/Concerns w/Web 2.0 tools ** Where will the time and the money come from to buy and use all this new technology in the classroom? Children need some time away from technology just to relax, unwind and use their imagination. Time and money need to be set aside for teacher inservice and training on Web 2.0 tools.

Ann,  You raise good questions and concerns. Teachers need time to explore the possibilities and time online for children can be imagination rich and can be relaxing. If they are creating, exploring and collaborating, they will be engaged in a meaingful way. It doesn't substitute for physical activity, but in a way, they need time away from technology in the same way that they need time away from a book. Technology in itself is neutral - it is how you engage with it that makes the difference. Balance is always good. Emmy ** Wikis on Line ** At this wiki:

http://mrsibrahim.wikispaces.com/Math I would like to know how to get this math in a minute onto my wiki but for first grade add and subtr I also like the 1,000 people to see what 1,000 looks like. http://mrsibrahim.wikispaces.com/Inquiry I also like the lets explore area

[|http://mrsanderson10.pbworks.com/w/page/33263525/FrontPage] Wow! Lots of video. Really nest voice thread of students reading their owl poems. What a great video. I have to be sure to show some of my teachers at school and our principal. I found may things to think about. We need to teach students in ways that they are use to, in an environment they have grown up in. We do not know what technology will be like in the future. We have to teach kids to be sucessfull no matter what their strengths are. I found it very interesting that so many students are diagnosed with ADHD. I don't think it is ADHD I think they are so stimulated at home and outside of school and when they get to school they are just bored. I can see just a simple tool like the wiki could stimulate the 21st century learners. The students should not have to turn off or shut down when they enter school. School should be a place that energizes and stimulates them. The teachers must use the web 2.0 tools to get kids excited about learning. They have grown up in a digital world and we cannot stop that progress, we must embrace it.We must change our view of school and the classroom. The students come with devices that connect them to the world. The curriculum should connect with students interests and with things that motivate them. I also never thought about grouping students other than by age. It would be nice to group by talent or interest but I can see a problem with that because of the social ability and maturity level with a mix of students from different ages. We still should have students work more in groups, to work collaboritively, to find more than one answer to a question so they could build on the more divergent thinking that is lost as they grow older. The wiki could help by posting thought provoking questions in the discussion area. It is difficult for teachers because technology changes so quickly. We always have to be open to new ideas.