21st+Century+Learning

As you reflect on the learning that we have been involved with over the last 18 months, you will soon become aware that the days of 9am - 3pm teaching are welll and truly over! As you saw in the community video, children these days are technology savvy and demanding instant communication and collaboration with people from all over the world. Mark Treadwell spoke to us about the pilot scheme that his daughter is participating in where her reflective diary and much of her work is completed online through blogs and colloborative wesites.

As teachers we have a responsibility to be there with the children as they explore and navigate their way around these somewhat unchartered waters. This does not mean that we have to know everything about the www. or web 2.0 or even the up and coming web 3.0! What it does mean is that we need, more so than ever to be guiding the children through how to be discering about what they find online, how to communicate in an internet based environment and most importantly how to be safe while they are there.

than half of online users today are content creators not just content consumers
By Ian Jukes & Ted McCain Austin, June 2007

Here at Te Awamutu Primary School, we are investing serious time and energy into making the digital environment one that all children have access to on a regular and informed basis. Whether we have new entrants or Year 6 students, they have digital learning needs. Children and their parents want, and expect to be able to communicate regularly and digitally. It is important to remember that much of the technological equipment that we have here at school, digital cameras, fax, computers, memory sticks etc, is not new or tricky or frightening to children. It is simply how it is! No longer do we only have "digital imigrants" and "digital natives", we now have the next version of students... just plain " digital". They have known no other way... digital is all they have grown up with. This is not to say that books, pencils and textas are not important. Nor are we saying that the Teacher is not important. But we need to find a sustainable and comprehensive way forward to improve learning outcomes for these digital kids. ICT's are simply another tool that has been proven to "hook in" children who are for one reason or another not achieving in the traditional methods of curriculum delivery.

=The Big Question?= How are our classrooms, (physically) and our teaching methods providing for their needs? What changes can we make easily? What changes are going to take some time? (not too much!) How can we plan for the next 12 months?