Rant begins: Granted I have often talked about the way in which the society in which we live changes the way we think. Thus, that there are blogs and they are a part of modern conversation impacts how a person thinks. The less history a person has, the less they recognize that this Web 2.0 is 'new.' Thus, the whole idea of digital native emerges.
And sure there are many youth who have taken the idea of blogging and really done something with it: TakingITGlobal, Global Kids, Students20h and 25 Days to Make a Difference are all wonderful examples of this. Will Richardson suggests that these are the examples that we should be talking about (and I agree!!)
Yet the assumption that I have run into time and again (including today at a meeting) is that the students get it and if we just get out of their way they will use these tools in our classrooms to do what we want them to...Umm...no. Yet, we seem to think that because a student can learn a tool better than us they will utilize it in explicitly meaningful ways to us.
We Assume That
- All students learn and interact best and most naturally in this digital world
- If given the chance to use the 'tools of this generation' in the classroom students will do so to meet our goals and objectives
- Using tool is the most important part of what they do with the tool
Final Thought: The Web 2.0 (or as BrianC Smith is starting to say, social media) tools make it easier to _______________. We need to forget about the tools and the easier part and fill in the blank.
Or as I would type in one of my papers: Tools mediate the meaning making process...they do not make it meaningful...that's what people do.
2 comments:
I couldn't agree with these points more. I'm a curriculum coordinator, and in recent years, there has been a push toward the use of multiple measures of assessment(including varied forms) rather reliance on a single indicator (i.e. the state test)in order to determine performance and target areas of weakness. As a result, I've taken a keen interest in how web 2.0 tools could be included in the mix. Of course, I often come up against fear and resistance on the part of teachers who are unfamiliar with the tools, and whose first line of reasoning when arguing against integration is that they can't see how the tool aligns to standards, measures their targeted areas of need, or provides students with the ability to practice and sharpen content area skills. I find that unless I can train teachers to use the tools for specific purposes that are aligned to their curricular needs, there is some well justified reluctance to spend too much time with it in the classroom.
I also question assumptions that often peg all kids as digital natives. I see many children and teenagers whose parents are more tech savvy than they are, simply because they rely on the tools for their own professional or personal purposes. In my community, there are very few kids using computers for anything other than IM at this point, and adults are the ones guiding them through the use of other tools. Or not.
I'm coming at this as a teacher who now trains teachers and as the mother of someone who is often perceived to be a digital native, but who still needs quite a bit of assistance navigating her way around. Thanks for giving my daughter Laura at Twenty Five Days a shout out here. I found this post particularly relevant to all that I've come to realize this year...about web 2.00 tools, the growth of "digital natives", and how educators might make better use of these tools in the classroom.
Thanks Angela,
I had the opportunity to see your daughter present in Buffalo a few weeks back and really enjoyed the depth of understanding and yet the recognition by her and you with the follow-up comments, that it isn't this magical/wonderful tool as we sometimes hear...rather it is an exciting and engaging way to connect....but has to be thought out as with everything else we do.
Thank you for being both supportive of a digital native and keeping your role as 'mom' at the front of the work you are doing.
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