I am becoming an EdTech nerd. I can't go to a bar without showing people pictures of Raspberry Pi on my phone or trying to start a debate about the 4th R. FreeTech4Teachers is a goldmine of resources to satisfy my latest obsession, although I agree that the blog format might not be the best for the content. EdSurge, a weekly newsletter targeted at EdTech entrepreneurs (but awesome for school librarians), just came out with a beta version of their attempt at a similar idea: help teachers get their hands on good ways to apply technology to enhance their instruction. I love reading through my EdSurge newsletter every week, so I am sure that their site will be full of great resources in an easy-to-search format, but I wonder what will be lost from the FreeTech4Teachers spirit without having a teacher run it by himself with no proprietary agenda.
After reading the NETS for Students and Teachers (you know, just another batch of standards we need to keep our eyes on) and the other readings that really helped illuminate the NETS, I was struck by a few things:
1) For the most part, I love the ranked order that the student standards are in. It shows where our educational values come from. Innovation is first, followed by collaboration. I would put critical thinking/problem solving next, and I would put digital citizenship last. Those would be my only changes, because
2) I believe that critical thinking is necessary for "information fluency" and
3) because digital citizenship is still a rather undefined concept. I also have trouble understanding how we don't really talk about ethics in the real world in schools, but it's totally fine to talk about ethics in a pseudo-world that still isn't fully formed. I think my main problem with this is that ethics has to be a part of the greater educative process, not just noted in terms of technology.
4) In terms of the teacher standards, I think the aspect that I would have the most trouble with at this point in my career preparation is the modeling of digital age work. I still have a lot to learn about new web tools. I want so badly to code elegantly in python (never in my life did I think I would type those words). I should probably get real software and own a real computer one of these days. In other words, I have a long way to go.
Modeling of quality digital work is an enormous challenge. I do some work with educators on this - the idea of a common vocabulary and criteria helps a LOT.
ReplyDeleteI like #3. I never really considered it, but your point about ethics in the real world vs. digital world is spot on. Regardless of the medium, kids need to understand what good citizenship is about, although I can understand why it's a tricky topic to teach.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up about EdSurge!
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