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
EL
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.