Yes, it is very cool to hear the voices of these 6th graders. The reaction as they heard the power of their voices for the first time was priceless. I hope that more and more teachers take the opportunity to put their student’s voices up on a World Stage. I have some students that are now “Active Learners” that were once “Passive Learners” at best.

@philiphodgen

I received a Twitter from you tonight because I signed up to receive any twitter that includes ‘future’ and ’school’. Now you know why you showed up on my cell phone (congrats on the win tonight by the way)

My name is Derek Brandow and I am from Eugene, Oregon. I am working with a small team to create a learning environment that allows for students to use technology and collaborate in a way that will truly prepare them (or at least prepare them in a much more appropriate way than general Public Ed) for the future in which they will graduate. Can you imagine a place where you get to do what you are doing with a staff who gets it like you do, and with all the means to inspire students in the way you know is so important?

We have a “challenge” we are about to launch, a call to anyone who cares about children’s life long learning, the future our kids will graduate to, and learning themselves.

We are interested to hear feedback from teachers like you, and perhaps collaborate if it seems right.

If this is something you may be interested in taking a peek at (it won’t be very long at all), email me and let me know, and I will forward “the challenge” to you very soon.

Peace,
Derek

I look forward to reading more of your work!

Kate Olson
http://googtweetblog.edublogs.org
@kolson29 (twitter)

Having read the posts and articles referenced on the Digital Native debate, it would seem that this is an issue of semantics. If the terms “Native” and “Immigrant” are perceived to create some sense of distance or insurmountable chasm between student and teacher, then the discussion surrounding the trends, observations, and opinions on this subject will break down. I agree that perhaps the terminology needs to be revamped, yet my experience with educating middle school students would suggest that the digital age has had a profound impact on the way students approach their learning experience. I do not feel that being a “Digital Native” suggests any level of mastery or proficiency, rather a shift in the manner students approach learning. My observations from my classroom experience confirm this suggested shift. I agree that my students, be they “Digital Natives” or “Digital Dilettantes”, demonstrate a wide range of ability, creativity, understanding, and proficiency when it comes to the use of digital tools in learning. The diversity of digital proficiency in the classroom only makes the task of differentiated instruction that much more daunting. I agree that the use of technology must be aligned to the curriculum and learning outcomes within a unit of study. When technology is used to teach students how to learn, how to problem solve, and how to create new content from their newly acquired knowledge, then the technology becomes valuable in creating meaning and understanding for our our students. This is a discussion that needs to continue for the benefit of every classroom teacher faced with teaching in the digital age.

Aloha,

Brian

It is interesting that you make reference to the Digital Natives. I have occasionally wondered how native the students are in fact. The students certainly have the tech skills and are easily entertained by the tools. As teachers I feel we need to share with them how to become truly productive, creative and original in their use of the tools. I posted about this earlier. Feel free to read.

http://blog.larkin.net.au/2007/10/23/the-digital-natives-debate-continues/

http://blog.larkin.net.au/2007/09/16/digital-natives-or-simply-digital-dilettantes/

Cheers

John