District Administration - September 2012 - (Page 100)

new directions • rob Mancabelli Three Essential Shifts in Learning An eighth-grader teaches a course on 21st-century schools. recently asked a group of middle school students to name their favorite use of technology for learning. An eager eighth-grade girl said, “My work has gotten so much better since we started using Facebook to do homework at night in my math class. We’re all online together, so if I have questions, I get them answered while doing my homework, instead of the next day or even later. Sometimes my friends even explain the math better than the teacher, and we send each other links to stuff online.” Wanting to learn more, I asked her which teacher had set up the group. A confused look came over her face as she said, “Oh, the teacher doesn’t know anything about this.” Her face turned horrorstruck, and she said, “You’re not going to tell our teacher, are you?” Out poured a flood of panicked words, “She’ll never understand. She’ll think we’re cheating on our homework. She’ll think we’re just copying answers. Besides, Billy is only 12, and he’s not supposed to be on Facebook, so he’ll have to see the principal. Please, please, don’t tell the teacher.” Welcome to the topsy-turvy world of education in the 21st century: a student describing her most powerful learning experience—and begging me not to tell her teacher about it. Three Shifts Scratch the surface of this anecdote and it reveals several essential shifts in the way we think about learning. Here are three of them, along with the challenges that they raise for me about our schools. Shift #1: Great teachers online outnumber the great teachers in our schools, and some of them are 13. With 2 billion potential teachers and terabytes of multimedia resources, it’s no accident that our 100 September 2012 I We’re all online together, so if I have questions, I get them answered while doing my homework, instead of the next day or even later. eighth-grade sage loves learning with her friends online. In fact, this kind of individualization of content and instruction is a Holy Grail in education. Our challenge is acknowledging that although we have terrific teachers in our schools, part of their role in 2012 is connecting students to great teachers online (in their classroom or across the globe). Among the challenges inherent in this are teaching them to do it safely, in age-appropriate ways, and improving access for students on the wrong side of the digital divide. Shift #2: Learning is faster on the Web, and this means that schools need to move faster as well. Reread the way our eighth-grade learner described the process of doing her homework and then receiving feedback 24 to 48 hours later. Her words imply that schools are using a system of communication that’s little better than tin cans and a ball of string. We need to embrace the fact that students can receive feedback in real time at home. The challenge is figuring out how we change our systems of assessment in order to encourage it, and how we alter our systems of interaction to participate in it. Shift #3: Social networking has created a generation gap, and it’s growing wider. Our eighth-grade scholar’s pride turned to fear because she believed that her school could never understand that “Facebook” did not equal “waste of time” or “cheating.” It’s a fear shared by many students about their online habits, and it’s rooted in the fact that not many educators know how to use online spaces effectively for learning. Our professional development needs to focus on creating connected educators that learn in networks and, therefore, can teach students how to use these skills in ways that enhance their ability to learn. One Last Shift Of course, the biggest shift I was reminded of that day was about listening. Our students are exploring social networking on the Web. Their excitement and engagement in this medium can become the basis for a rich dialogue around teaching and learning, but it’s not one we’ve always pursued in the past. In the course of figuring out this new landscape, listening to them is a good place to start. DA Rob Mancabelli is a speaker, writer and education consultant. He is the co-author of Personal Learning Networks: Using the Power of Connections to Transform Education (Solution Tree Press, 2011). District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - September 2012

District Administration - September/October 2012
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Curriculum Update
Inside the Law
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Product Focus
Resistance to High-Stakes Testing Spreads
Postgraduation for Special Needs Students
Rick & Becky DuFour
CIo News
Getting the Best ROI in Technology
Shaping a Digital Decade
Professional Opinion
Professional Opinion
Online Edge
Going Mobile
New Products
New Directions

District Administration - September 2012

https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201511
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201507
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201505
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201505_AudioVisualSolutions
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201504
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201502
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201406
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201405_AudioVisualSolutions
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201301_AudioVisualSolutions
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0912
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0712
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da_avguide0112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0911
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0711
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0611
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0511
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0710
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0610
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0909
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0908
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0808
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0907
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0807
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0707
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0507
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0906
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0806
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0706
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da-palm0606
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0606-av
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0606
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0406
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com