Wesley Fryer shared his plea for digital leadership via Twitter this morning. He eloquently and fervently appeals for administration to enable the children in our classes to have access to quality digital experiences which will prepare them for their lives, I would say not just working lives, post school.
As an advocate for the web2.0 open source applications that are freely available but blocked so tightly in school I concur with his plea for improved access and equipment. To provide creative experiences that will put our students in touch with not only the technology but the student’s peers, globally. We need to also update the curriculum to include the understanding of ‘netiquette’ as social networking unfolds online - it is no longer enough to simply learn the art of face to face communication; virtual meetings and online dialogue demand different skills such as self control where the user does not have visual cues from a partner to identify mood changes. As Wesley points out there are often reports in the media of cyber bullying and inappropriate posts on YouTube of playground fights. This isn’t just in the US, it is occurring here in Australia too.
Referring to the Scholastic 2008 report, Wesley also made the point that reading books is not being replaced by technology. I have always argued that computers offer a different type of reading. Childhood is not lost because students are playing MMPORG games, it is simply changing, it is different to how we grew up. The fact that obesity is becoming a global issue highlights the need for education to be involved, as we demonstrate how to read, so we should be demonstrating good practice with technology.
The video lasts for 17 minutes and is well worth the time spent for inspiration. Thanks.
http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2008/07/06/a-message-for-my-school-board/
Tags: inspiration, admin, Fryer, future
0 responses so far ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment