Monday, April 23, 2007

Will Richardson Keynote

Will began this presentation with three views about the importance of engaging students in learning and technology--as a teacher, as a parent, and as a blogger; You can visit the presentation for the best information, but here are a few highlights:

  • the impact of social technology on politics--the model is changing, with candidates spending more of their time and energy connecting with people online
  • journalism is changing--anyone can post video or news immedately
  • businesses are changing--more about the conversation around the product than about the product itself, consumers are becoming more interested in others' feedback (i.e. reading the comments on Amazon instead of the publisher promotional materials)
  • will education keep up?
Education:

  • digital divide--how do we ensure that all kids can be part of the conversation if the conversation is online and they do not have access?
  • learning is taking place in the conversations following the sharing of content, not during the content presentation itself
  • how do these technologies affect teaching and learning?
  • 46645=Google you can text Google with your search question and receive an answer to your question
  • if we are not teaching our students how to use these technologies, then they will learn on their own (and not necessarily the best information or utilization)
  • collaboration is going to be a critical skill for the 21st C.
  • content is changing constantly--we need to decide how much of the content is truly important for them to know, thus emphasizing a focus on the essential questions and big ideas
  • each of us has to be editors of the information--because no one else is editing it for us--media literacy is key to understanding what information is worthwhile and accurate
  • using technology effectively is more than just doing the same thing electronically--it is a shift in how teaching and learning take place





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1 comment:

JD said...

I thought the last sentence you wrote was what interested me. We need to do more than just take something we already did and make it electronic. I think this is what leads us to more higher level thinking.

He used the example of being "Smarter than a 5th Grader." He did not know how many sides a trapezoid had, but he was able to dial the 46645 Google number and get the answer.

Not spending the time learning all of the information leaves more time for higher level thinking. The premise is that we need to teach kids how to access information rather than spending all of the time learning it.