"Taking the Digital Plunge ." Educational Leadership Sept, 2009: 85-86. Web. 30 Sept 2009 by Bill Ferriter.
The title caught my attention because I feel like our district already has many of the digital tools available and yet we seem to be unable to “take the plunge.” Reading the article was enough to peak my interest in Bill’s perspective so I added his blog “The Tempered Radical” to my blog list for regular reading. The focus of his blog (sharing how-tos, working around problems and showcasing examples of innovative ways to use technology) is exactly what I am interested in.
Key Points from the article:
Bill describes himself as someone who is utilizing the Internet to find and build a network of like-minded collaborators. That is something I hope to do. As an educator he sees his role as preparing students for the 21st century where digital tools are not just a resource to help learners find information (“knowing about”) but allowing them to connect with people they may not know personally so they can learn together (“learning with”). To me, that is a major difference. Bill uses statistics to support his conclusion that students know how to use digital tools and are very connected but he also concludes (and I agree) “there is not a lot of meaningful discourse going on among teenagers.” He also believes that “no one has taught them about the power of these connections” and “few are using those networks to pursue meaningful personal growth.” That is consistent with what I have experienced at Cape Elizabeth High School and I hope it is something I can begin to address with students I come in contact with. Bill concludes the article with some suggestions to help educators take the digital plunge. I already have a Twitter account and am following educators who I feel will help me grow as an educator. I am also going to start following: http://supportblogging.com and check out Bill’s resources http://www.pageflakes.com/wferriter/16618841.
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12 comments:
Hey Ginger,
I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts about my article! One of the cool things about learning online is that you can pretty quickly have your thoughts challenged by anyone and everyone who finds them!
While that challenge may seem threatening to some, it's truly powerful for me because pushback from readers forces me to look at ideas from new angles that I'd never considered before.
Think about what a cool lesson that is---and how it plays out in our interaction today. I don't know you---you don't know me, but I found your blog and your developing post AND I'm excited to see what you have to say about my ideas because your thoughts may improve my thinking.
Amazing, indeed...and not possible ten years ago!
Rock on,
Bill Ferriter
http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical
Bill,
Just attended a 2-day conference .. ACTEM (Association for Computer Technology Educators in Maine). Marco Torres was our keynote speaker and in his workshop, I saw some incredible things his kids are doing using digital tools. I go to this conference every year - it is an important part of my professional development and helps me build my network. The conference gives me a chance to experience new technology and most importantly to be exposed to innovative ways to use technology for my personal growth and with my students.
Now is my time to reflect on the past 2 days and to do my homework for my grad class "21st Century Teaching and Learning with Technology." When I noticed somebody had posted to my blog, I assumed it was a classmate...I was stunned to see it was the author of the article we are discussing! Amazing! I look forward to reading your blog and trying new things in my school as I/we take the plunge.
Ginger Raspiller
Bill,
Another exciting thing happening at our high school - our principal just took the department heads to a DuFour workshop on Professional Learning Communities as part of his effort to increase collaboration. I hope to be able to encourage the use of digital tools where appropriate to facilitate this process.
Ginger Raspiller
Ginger, I saw your comment on your admin going to the DuFour workshop on professional learning communities. What a great opportunity for you and your teachers! With Bill commenting on your post, you now have a model to show them. It's so powerful when you can have conversations like these! The risk is realizing that we all should be working on improving our learning and as Marco said, "keep asking the questions". Getting feedback and reflecting on work can be the most rewarding part of our practice.
Hi Ginger,
I have to differ with Ferriter's feeling that "few students are using networks to pursue meaningful personal growth." I was fortunate to have lived with two that did and continue to do so. Maybe no one at school knew of the amazing work they did online during their junior and senior high school years, but as their mom, I sure knew.
Terry wrote:
I have to differ with Ferriter's feeling that "few students are using networks to pursue meaningful personal growth."
Interesting pushback, Terry....I wonder why your children were successful at using digital networks to pursue meaningful growth when so many aren't?
Do you think that your modeling had anything to do with it? My guess is that you are at least aware of the kind of digital networking and co-learning that is possible----otherwise you wouldn't be commenting on this blog!
What about motivation to learn? Are your kids examples of the average American teen/tween when it comes to embracing the importance of an education, or are their attitudes towards learning different than that of their peers?
These are interesting questions that we've GOT to pursue as educators simply because mastery of the kinds of digital tools that make learning efficient will determine success in tomorrow's world. They're the new essentials, and every child has to be as successful as your children have been.
Looking forward to your response,
Bill Ferriter
Hey Ginger,
It was fun reading some of your posts on PLCs and your 21st Century conference. Sheryl NB is an old friend of mine from the Teacher Leaders Network who has changed my thinking time and again in the past decade, and Rick and Becky DuFour wrote the foreward for my new book on PLCs!
You're learning from some good people, there...that's for sure!
Bill Ferriter
Bill,
Sheryl NB was the keynote speaker at the ACTEM (Association for Computer Technolgy Educators of Maine). Enjoyed her keynote, workshops and I am following her tweets.
Our high school is discussing PLCs right now. Several of our dept heads attended a 2-day workshop with Rick DuFour. I am following and shared the blog "AllThingsPLC" with the group.
We are in class right now discussing our blog experiences. Question for you: How did you find my blog?
Thanks,
Ginger Raspiller
Bill,
Your phrase "making learning efficient" speaks to me and perhaps that is where we need to focus when we attempt to hook parents and students on the need for mastery of digital skills at an early age.
Alice Barr's 21st Century Technology class at USM is helping me to see new possibilities. You could say that "shift" is my new favorite word. After only two classes, I am convinced that digital citizenship (or at least a digital citizenship attitude) begins in primary school.
We Skyped with a teacher in northern Maine in yesterday's class and heard ways that second graders use Twitter. I began to see how easily it might be introduced to my class of first graders.
Did you know that I titled my summary of your article, "Twitter Decision Made Easy"? I guess you could say that between you and Alice, I'm finally getting the push I need to take the plunge to open a Twitter account!
Terry wrote:
Your phrase "making learning efficient" speaks to me and perhaps that is where we need to focus when we attempt to hook parents and students on the need for mastery of digital skills at an early age.
This is spot on thinking, Terry. One of the weaknesses that I see in our attempts to get digital tools into the hands of students is that few people see any real tangible reason for doing so simply because they haven't begun to use digital tools to facilitate their own learning.
It's only when you become convinced that digital tools can help you to grow smarter or do your own job better and/or quicker that you'll start to find ways to use digital tools in classrooms and with students.
Think about the power of this conversation we're having. You are pushing my thinking and I don't even know you. That's a rush for me.
As a teacher, I want to introduce that same rush to my students!
Cool stuff,
Bill
Hey Ginger,
There's lots of ways that I find the blogs of people who are writing about my work, and they all start when someone includes a link to my blog or my name in one of their posts. Those are the keys for searching out people writing about me, or writing about my writing.
Here are three:
Google Blog Search: http://blogsearch.google.com
Lets you search for your name, your blog's name, or links to your blog in the blogosphere. Sorts posts by day, week, month and year. Provides direct links to the posts where your work has been mentioned.
(This is where I found you.)
Technorati
http://www.technorati.com
Does the same kind of work as Google Blog Search, but also provides a ranking system for blogs based on the number of mentions that you get over time. Right now, Technorati is going through major technical changes, though....so it's not a great place to start until those changes are worked out.
My own blog's tracking tools
Typepad provides me with a list of all of the referring addresses of the views to my page, so anytime someone clicks through to my blog from somewhere else, I have a record of the original location.
For example, the reason I ended up here today is because someone clicked on my blog in your blogroll, which left a record of your blog in my page views from last night.
Some bloggers think it's pretentious to follow these kinds of things----like all you're doing is trying to drive page views and build your own ego based on the number of times you're mentioned online.
I completely disagree because for me, searching out mentions simply gives me a chance to see what other people think of my ideas. Sometimes they agree. Sometimes they disagree. Either way, I get pushback against my thoughts that forces me to think again.
And thinking again is what learning is all about.
Hope this makes sense,
Bill
Bill~
Thanks for taking the time to explain how you found my blog. The Google Blog Search made sense but you blew me away with "the reason I ended up here today is because someone clicked on my blog in your blogroll, which left a record of your blog in my page views from last night." That is amazing!
I just finished reading one of Will Richardson's blogposts "Teachers as Learners Part 32" [http://weblogg-ed.com/2009/teachers-as-learners-part-32/] and your response to Terry Lincoln on my blog ... you both make the point that teachers tend to look for tools to use in the classroom rather than use the tools (in this case Web 2.0) to learn about something that they are passionate about .. and share that with students. Makes sense .. otherwise the tools are just a solution in search of a problem.
As a result of this class and interactions online, I have some ideas of things I would like to pursue.
Thanks again
Ginger Raspiller
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