Education is a constantly evolving field.
Educators are not always constantly evolving.
Me included. Over the past several months I have been forced to immerse myself in the field of Educational Technology. It's been hard and saddening. I'm realizing just how much of an ancient curmudgeon I am. And I've only been teaching for 10 years. How can this be? Just a few years ago I thought I was on the cutting edge. I recently read one of Doug Johnson's (the author of The Blue Skunk Blog) old posts from May 2010. The blog was titled "Top Ten Social Media Competencies for Teachers." With my recent "expertise" in Educational Technology, I've modified this list to 5 ideas (or questions) that all educators, regardless of their experience or level of expertise with technology, need to think about NOW!
1. In most districts, students have internet access and a school-based e-mail address. Should they also have a twitter, slideshare, and youtube account for school use? Should they also have a school blog?
2. Is it the schools job (think major school-wide initiative) to get students to use Web 2.0 technology applications, or should it be up to the individual classroom teacher?
3. All students should have a PLN (period)! They should use this as frequently as they use their e-mail.
4. Should we teach students the intricacies of having an on-line identity and the long term aspects of reputation management? What course do we do this in?
5. Should all teachers and students be responsible for creating and following a personal learning plan to stay up-to-date on emerging technologies?
These ideas (questions) could transform the K-12 school experience. How do we, as educators and administrators, make this happen? You can find Doug's original blog here: http://tinyurl.com/2fj895g
What do you think?
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