Response to Will Richardson Video

As I work through the Connected Journey it excites me to learn so many new things. At the same time, it stresses me trying to out figure out how am I going to find the time to dive deeper into all these new learning opportunities!!?? Here we go!!!

Will Richardson said the words I have heard so many times in the past few years, "be prepared for a change in education." He shared with us that we need to consider a world that is different from the world we have painted in schools from when we were young.  The world is at our fingertips and we need to know how to use it to engage and teach our students.There is a difference between school and learning. As teachers we need to help build literate successful learners. 

I agree with Richardson that learning means "exploring, changing, teaching people how to think, multiple answers, access to information, problem solving, etc..." I believe this starts with the teacher not technology. In order for students to be prepared for college, we need to make sure we are asking our students to create, analyze, and evaluate. The right teachers will improve a child's education. The technology will change the way they learn. I believe this comes hand and hand, but it starts with the teacher.

My concern is how do we create these learners when we have high stakes testing, teacher evaluations/student performance? There must be a balance??? We are required that our students make a years growth and beyond. As a fourth grade teacher, I need to teach reading, writing, and math. I do see how the techniques I use must continue to change-using different forms of technology to get the lesson across to the students. 

Another point that resonated with me was the "Friday Folder." Papers piling up to 2 1/2 feet tall filled with information only needed for a test is just daunting to hear and picture in my mind. I agree that we need to be using more problem based learning. Students can learn so much using their higher order thinking skills to solve a real world problem that may really have an effect on them. I must step in as the facilitator of the class and do more of this in my classroom. 

One main concern I have is the social media aspect of learning. I teach 9 and 10 year-old children.  One click of a button and our children could be exposed to information, pictures, etc. that are inappropriate. There are 2 million teachers out there but there are also 2 million pieces of information that I do not want my students to be exposed to. I like using social media in my classroom that I can moderator- kidblog, edmodo, etc.  I love using social media for my own learning and communicating. Maybe through this journey my views will change about social media and young children.

Overall, I agree with Richardson, I think our role as educators has changed from providing all of the information to "helping students make sense of technology, how to learn and create with it- to be literate, to be bold, to be a learning community."