Irrelevance

Citing a great paper, "Tech-savvy students stuck in text-dominated schools; A summary of available research on student attitudes, perceptions, and behavior by Kim Farris-Berg, University of Minnesota professor Scott McLeod wonders: “…in their current state, schools today may actually be harming digitally-literate students, not just ignoring them.” In a response to David Warlick's powerful letter to parents citing "his" school's failure to educate their children with 21st century skills, David Jakes responds as the parent of a very high performing student who is concerned his child won't have the skills it take to do well at the university he plans to attend. (I don't agree with his conclusion that the principal is primarily the one responsible for his school not employing technology fully, however.)

Are we failing our high performing/tech-savvy students by not providing a technology-rich learning school environment? While much thought and effort has gone into closing the digital divide - helping to make sure students from challenging socio-economic backgrounds have access to technology -  are we concerned enough about the tech-saavy kids who may also be underserved by under-powered schools?

Levine, McLeod, and Jakes allude to a number of ways students in tech rich homes are at a disadvantage in tech poor schools including

•  boredom/lack of challenge
• too little attention on learning styles other than text/verbal
• too little meaningful application of technology
  
• little preparation for high tech college environments

 I'd add another serious concern - that "school" for these kids lacks relevance. I hate to think our best and brightest are simply tuning out, assuming schools and teachers have little to offer them since they can't/don't use the students' own communication methods.

Significant day

Sent to me this morning by a friend who has retired to Spain. Sorry, couldn't resist sharing it...

This year, both Groundhog Day and the State of the Union Address fall on the same day. 

As Air America Radio pointed out, "It is an ironic juxtaposition: one involves a meaningless ritual in which we look to a creature of little intelligence for prognostication, and the other involves a groundhog."

I Will (as a librarian)

If you haven't seen it, Jacquie Henry has continued the "I Will.." series on her new (and very good) Wanderings blog.

This is how it goes so far.

• I Will (as a student)
• I Will (as a teacher)
• I Will (as a librarian)
  

Great fun, and thanks again, John Pederson, for getting the ball rolling and Jacquie for keeping it rolling. Where else might this go? I Will (as a parent), I Will (as a school administrator), or even I Will (as an engaged member of society)?

Reminds me a little of an early poster to LM_Net who made the comment: computers won't replace librarians, but librarians who know how to use computers will. (If you remember who first authored this, please let me know or I will keep claiming it as my own.)

________

Thanks to the great educators in Indiana who attended the ICE Conference this past week. I had great fun and hope you did as well. 

While at ICE, I got to sit in on the last bit of Annette Lamb's session on blogging and grabbed a handout that pointed to the fabulous school blogging resources on her escrapbooking website. Generous soul that Annette is, she gave me permission to point other people to this resource that she shares.

This was the first time I've had the opportunity to watch Annette at work. She is one of the liveliest and best organized presenters I know, and is extremely practical in her approach to the classroom use of technology. A genuine delight. 

Annette is also teaching an online class on blogging. I'm sure if you e-mail her <eduscapes@earthlink.net>, she'll send you more information.

________

I loved the entry Imagine: Blogging for People Who Don't Read by  Christian Long over at think:lab. He writes, in part:

"Learning without passion is not learning.  They make velcro-closure sneakers and spell check for all the rest.  Or they simply outsource it (skill, knowledge, 'fact') to India or via TurboTax. Period.  Without something profound pushing your soul, without a journey, without a Bilbo returning the ring, without a blind turn in the woods, without finding your absolute best self facing the blind trust fall of adventure, there is no learning worth fighting for that should divide communities based on bond increases or place technologists against administrators within the professional debate hamster-wheel or incite home schoolers to mock public schoolers (vice versa) or to ask anyone to worry about 21st century skills (and the tests that will get you there).  No, until the 'epic' is returned to the learning experience, until we all become part of the Story, until it matters more to the learner than the Superintendent, until learning answers the 'why do I need to know this?' quandary, it's all velcro-enclosure sneakers."

I am such a sucker for passionate writing and articulated epiphanies, such as this. Somebody besides me, gets it! How exciting! I am a firm believer that you gotta have your own aha! experience, your own moment of zen, your own conversion on the road to Damascus - nobody can have it for you and then tell you about it.  Nobody can teach the same awakening an epiphany brings. But it's cool reading about them anyway.

Enjoy your weekend.