http://easegill.edublogs.org/2008/04/24/33/ Learning in a technology rich environment Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:43:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 http://easegill.edublogs.org/2008/04/24/33/#comment-5 easegill Sun, 27 Apr 2008 04:04:00 +0000 http://easegill.edublogs.org/2008/04/24/33/#comment-5 Thanks for the comment. I think that you've identified the effect of the aware teacher i.e. someone who can see the possibilities and respond and adjust in context. When I was writing I felt that I was being one-sided. I know that there are many brilliant and responsive educators out there. Often they are the ones who we see most as they engage with the opportunities available, whether that is PD or informal conversation. As you say, getting the rewiring done will be complex and I am hoping that the wider community will help in the search for answers. Thanks for the comment. I think that you’ve identified the effect of the aware teacher i.e. someone who can see the possibilities and respond and adjust in context. When I was writing I felt that I was being one-sided. I know that there are many brilliant and responsive educators out there. Often they are the ones who we see most as they engage with the opportunities available, whether that is PD or informal conversation. As you say, getting the rewiring done will be complex and I am hoping that the wider community will help in the search for answers.

]]> http://easegill.edublogs.org/2008/04/24/33/#comment-4 Christopher D. Sessums Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:39:22 +0000 http://easegill.edublogs.org/2008/04/24/33/#comment-4 Your post triggered a few thoughts: The first year I taught high school (17-18 yr olds bored out of their skulls with "school"), I did everything the way I was taught. If I opened my book, students opened their books; if I wrote on the board, st. wrote in their notes. Absolutely dreadful. But that was the culture. I was just attempting to fit in. It didn't take long for me to realize there could be many different ways to go about this. The second year I taught high school seniors (my area was writing about literature, specifically historical British literature), I went in on the first day, sat down in the chairs with them and asked, "So, what do you want to learn?" To no surprise, the students were dumbfounded. They had been so trained that they truly had difficulty articulating that I was hired to help them succeed in many social, academic, ethicly, and material ways. I asked, "How many of you would like to be an attorney? a doctor? The Boss?" All hands raised high. "Alright then, what do you need to know to be the best X you can be?" While we still read, wrote and discussed literature, they realized they could come to class and inquire and share their inquiries to a like-minded audience. So you are spot on in your comments above about the need to rewire the system from the training and development of educational professionals. While this is a complex enterprise, it's not an impossible one. I think social software allows us to grow the kinds of conversations that can lead to real change. Your post triggered a few thoughts:
The first year I taught high school (17-18 yr olds bored out of their skulls with “school”), I did everything the way I was taught. If I opened my book, students opened their books; if I wrote on the board, st. wrote in their notes. Absolutely dreadful. But that was the culture. I was just attempting to fit in. It didn’t take long for me to realize there could be many different ways to go about this.
The second year I taught high school seniors (my area was writing about literature, specifically historical British literature), I went in on the first day, sat down in the chairs with them and asked, “So, what do you want to learn?” To no surprise, the students were dumbfounded. They had been so trained that they truly had difficulty articulating that I was hired to help them succeed in many social, academic, ethicly, and material ways. I asked, “How many of you would like to be an attorney? a doctor? The Boss?” All hands raised high. “Alright then, what do you need to know to be the best X you can be?” While we still read, wrote and discussed literature, they realized they could come to class and inquire and share their inquiries to a like-minded audience.
So you are spot on in your comments above about the need to rewire the system from the training and development of educational professionals. While this is a complex enterprise, it’s not an impossible one. I think social software allows us to grow the kinds of conversations that can lead to real change.

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