What's good for the goose dept.

If you don’t think students should have devices in the classroom, take a look around at your next meeting and ask how those in the room would feel if such a limitation was in place. Ryan Bretag 

Here is an old teacher's prayer that I sometimes share: If I am to die, let it be during a staff inservice since the transition to death will be so subtle.

How is it that while we as adult learners know how painful sitting, passively listening, and being bombarded by overly detailed and irrelevant information can be - and how  palliative the sweet escape of checking one's texts, tweets, e-mails and posts can be - that we are not more empathetic when it comes to our students?

One of the most eye opening experiences I ever participated in as a young teacher was a day of student "job shadowing." I was assigned to a high school kid - a high achiever, as I recall - and basically followed him from class-to-class during the day. It was among the longest days of my life. 

When I am made king of education, I will require every teacher, every administrator, and every school board member shadow a student for one day a year. BYOD won't even be a topic of coversation in a 6 months.

Comments

[Lynn]

So True!!!! The best blog post I think I have ever read!

[Tim Stahmer]

Since the beginning of the previous school year, as our district rolled out a policy encouraging BYOD, I've spoken to many groups of teachers on the subject. In almost every session, someone brings up the fear about students texting, using Facebook, Twitter, personal email, YouTube, etc. And I always ask which of them go through an entire workday without using any social/personal communications tools at school.

Very few raise their hands, and I doubt anyone really cares if they do as long as such use doesn't interfere with their job. We should take the same approach to students using their own devices. We really do need to put ourselves in the students' shoes more often.

[Ryan Bretag]

I couldn't agree more, Doug! When I became a school administrator, I made a number of promises to myself. One of these promises was to walk in the shoes of students at least once a year, and I continue to challenge other leaders to do the same: http://www.ryanbretag.com/blog/?p=1559

I'm happy to say that I'll be walking in the their shoes in two weeks, an annual event that provides insights unlike any other experience!

Most importantly, King Johnson has a nice ring to it.

[Doug Johnson]

Thanks, Lynn. Very flattering but I think you need to raise your standards! ;-0

Doug

Hi Tim,

I think those of in BYOD districts tend to forget that we have to get teachers over their classroom management fears before they will listen to some pedagogical ideas.

I keep reminding folks that these devices are increasingly everyone's outboard brains and to expect people not to take advantage of an extra few brain cells is unreasonable!

Doug

Hi Ryan,

Thanks for taking the time to comment. I think you know I am big fan of your blog and quote you on a regular basis. Always great to read someone who is actually putting theory into practice.

Have a great week going for you,

Doug