In response to the Kiva Math article, I have to say the one thing that struck me the most was this idea of a global learning community. Isn’t that what 21st century skills are all about anyway?
For someone that is pretty technologically savvy, I’m not as digitally savvy…but my students are. The problem we face as educators is, how do we teach these students, who are so digitally savvy… literally taking in the world via the filter of computing devices: the cell phones, handheld gaming devices, PDAs, and laptops they take everywhere, plus the computers, TVs, and game consoles at home, to be media literate? to be global citizens?
If 21st Century (and frankly any century) learning is supposed to be interdisciplinary, project-based, and research-driven; curriculum should be connected to the community – local, state, national and global. The classroom is expanded to include the greater community, and this is where the use of digital technology comes in. The only issue here is that most students are not using the technology for this reason, but are using it for entertainment and social networking….which is great, but this alone is not enough.
I agree with Ruthie that we cannot shortchange ourselves or our students by getting too wrapped up in the “cool tools” the internet has availed to us. Best practice is still best practice. The curriculum and instruction should still be designed to challenge all students, and provide for differentiation.
I guess I’ll have to play around a little more with some of those “cool tools”…
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I feel fortunate to be teaching at the elementary level, where the students are generally not yet racing ahead of their teachers in their use of digital tools! I have found that the kids and I can often teach each OTHER helpful hints for basic tools (including basic applications that are not online), which is a nice feeling when it happens. (My students are fifth-graders.)
ReplyDeleteGreat points Kelley! Ultimately our job is still to challenge students and hopefully prepare them to be contributing members to society. The most impressive part of the Kiva project was the global citizenship that took place, not just the use of technology. The technology enabled the students to connect to the world around them, but the end result was the sense of connectedness and social responsibility they gained.
ReplyDeleteAs we learn more and more about the "cool tools" that are available, we certainly need to keep the end result in mind. Like you said, our main focus is still to challenge students.
The goal of the ASCD's Whole Child Education Campaign, which I agree with wholeheartedly, is to ensure that all students are healthy, safe, supported, engaged, and challenged. www.wholechildeducation.org
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