Promoting the promise and opportunity of the Web Extended Classroom

Growing Up Online

Frontline broadcast an episode on January 21st entitled "Growing up Online ". The documentary examines how radically the Internet is changing the experiences of childhood. While this documentary highlights two particular communities in the US it most definitely mirrors the experience for communities in Canada.

The full documentary is available for playback on the website as chapters. The video is a must watch and the associated sections of the site Introduction , What we Learned , Inside the Revolution and Keeping Kids Safe are a must read. The Discussion also provides some additional insight and clarification.

Frontline is part of PBS which by itself can be fantastic resource for teachers.

You will need the current version of the Flash player to access the video. Get Adobe Flash Player

Did You Know?

Are you in the need of a reality check? You Tube can be a marvelous classroom resource and provide an opportunity for professional learning and growth. If you have not seen the video Shift Happens then now is the time. Created by Karl Fisch [The Fischbowl ] the original video went viral on the internet in just a few weeks and has since been seen by countless millions of people. The video provides an eye opening look at the realities of globalization. Join the conversation on the Shift Happens wiki .

While some of the content on You Tube is obviously not suitable for use in classrooms with a little searching their are jems to be found. You might even want to check out Teacher Tube. Video can sometimes be as better than a thousand words.

 

Do Schools Kill Creativity?

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining (and profoundly moving) case in this talk at TED for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. With ample anecdotes and witty asides, Robinson points out the many ways our schools fail to recognize -- much less cultivate -- the talents of many brilliant people. "We are educating people out of their creativity," Robinson says. The universality of his message is evidenced by its rampant popularity online. A typical review: "If you have not yet seen Sir Ken Robinson's TED talk, please stop whatever you're doing and watch it now."

So why would there be a link to this particular talk on an educational technology website? Simple...technology can be a fantastic tool for unlocking student creativity. Learning to harness that power should thefore be a key issue for educators.

By the way...the TED site is well worth spending some time in. Go ahead and explore.

A Vision of Students Today

YouTube is once again the source of a marvelous video that highlights the perspective of students, engagement and technology. Educators should take note that the other video content on the YouTube pages may not be appropriate. If you would like to show these two clips to students [elementary] please be aware of what else is on the screen.

The first is a video piece created by a class of university students that points out the growing disconnect between what they do in "real" life and what they do in school.

The second is a piece created around the same theme [engagement] but from the perspective of k-12 students.

There are various versions of these two video pieces floating around the internet but these are the ones that everyone points to.

The Myth of the Google Generation

is the Google Generation as web literate as we think?

While the current generation of students has profound access to the internet, spends a great deal of time online, can text message without looking at their cell phone and are usually believed to be true "multi taskers" are they the most web-literate?

This article from the British Library highlights a pioneering study by the University College London and raises questions about how sophisticated the "Google Generation" really is.

What questions does this raise for schools and education in general? What do we have to be teaching students about the acquisition, authentication and sharing of information and knowledge to make them literate in the 21st century? Regina Public Schools LearningPlus Information Literacy page provides teachers with the building blocks for a constructive Information Literacy strategy. Canada's own Media Awareness Network is also a fantastic resource.

 

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