Educational Leadership - September 2009

To put it simply, our students have no trouble connecting, but no one has taught them about the power of these connections. Although tweens and teens may be comfortable using digital tools to build networks, few are using those networks to pursue meaningful personal growth. Our challenge as teachers is to identify ways that students can use these tools for learning.

Experiment!

This is why I experiment with every new tool that bursts onto the teenage radar—and show my students how these tools can translate into opportunities for learning. Consider the potential: Students from different countries can explore global challenges together. Small cohorts of motivated kids can conduct studies of topics with deep personal meaning to them. Experts can “visit” classrooms thousands of miles away.

Recognizing the power in digital conversations, I began using discussion tools like Voice Thread (http://voicethread .com) to create electronic forums for my students to interact with peers around classroom content—with extraordinary results. More than 85 percent of students in my classroom participate in our optional online discussions, logging thousands of page views and adding hundreds of comments. Whether we’re working with other classes in our school or around the world, each conversation includes opportunities for students to ask questions and feel a push against their preconceived notions. As Christina—one of my former students—wrote, “I love it when someone disagrees with me online because it makes me think again.”

First Steps

If this makes sense to you but you haven’t created digital connections your-

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self, it’s time to start building your own personal learning network. Begin by signing up for a Twitter account

( www.twitter.com) and visiting the Twitter for Teachers wiki (http://twitter4 teachers.pbworks.com) to find colleagues to follow. Through Twitter, you’ll get short online messages from fellow practitioners that point you to resources or pose questions. Join an online community of educators discussing teaching and learning. My current favorites are Classroom 2.0 ( www.class- room20.com) and the Teacher Leaders Network (www.teacher leaders.org), but new groups form every day.

Not ready to cannonball into an ongoing digital relationship with a bunch of strangers yet? Then start by following some of the good education blogs written by teachers. Many of these are listed in the Support Blogging wiki (http:// supportblogging.com) and on my list of resources ( www.pageflakes.com /wferriter/16618841).

Once you’ve taken your digital plunge, share with students how the digital connections you engage in enhance your skills and deepen your knowledge. Model learning transparently.

The key to becoming an effective 21st century instructor is to become an efficient 21st century learner. Once you pair high-quality teaching with a meaningful understanding of today’s tools for networked learning, you’ll be prepared to support tomorrow’s networked kid. Ready to take the first step?

1Pew Research Center. (2007). Teens and Social Media. Washington, DC: Author. Available www.pewinternet.org/Reports /2007/ Teens-and-Social-media.aspx?r= 1

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Strategically developed by Principals for Principals, this institute can help you build stronger, more cohesive, collaborative teams; develop leaders; and analyze and use data more effectively to prioritize and achieve objectives outlined in your school improvement plans. Register by calling toll-free 1.866.961.9579, Ext. 231; International + 1.303.504.9312, Ext. 231, or visit www.LeadandLearn.com.

Principals Leadership Institute March 8-10, 2010 San Antonio, Texas

Bill Ferriter teaches 6th grade language arts and social studies in Raleigh, North Carolina, and blogs about the teaching life at The Tempered Radical (http:// teacherleaders.typepad.com/the _tempered_radical). He is the coauthor of Building a Professional Learning Community at Work: A Guide to the First Year (Solution Tree, 2009); 919-363-1870; wferriter@hotmail.com.