Technology Transforms Learning

In David Warlick's article about technology transforming learning environments, he talks about the influence that technology has had in the lives of our students.  One of the first things he mentions is that students have become more internally motivated to answer their own questions.  I think this is incredibly important in the lives of our students.  If we can develop lifelong learners who constantly seek the answers to their own questions, I think we will see a population emerge that is more open to change and growth.  When students learn the power in answering their own questions, they begin to question more about their surrounding environments and develop their own opinions and values rather than following blindly. 

I think one unit that I already have implemented in my classroom that supports Warlick's thought is during our studies of the Civil War.  Another teacher and I have developed a unit that is completely student-driven in which they are able to answer their own questions about the Civil War.  We provide some background information on the Civil War, and then completely leave it up to the students to decide what and how they're going to study relating to the war.  Students pick any topic of interest - ranging from famous war photographers to a specific battle to medical care of the era.  They become an "expert" on that topic and then choose how they will present the information to the class.  It's a great example of how students can develop their own questions and learning, instead of those questions being handed down by a teacher or a textbook.

4 Important Digital SKills

Alan November's article on "4 things every student should learn... but not every school is teaching" identified four non-academic standards that are crucially important to student success, but not necessarily taught in schools.  His four standards were:

1.  Global empathy (understanding and appreciating others' views)
2.  Social and ethical responsibility on the web (avoiding things like cyber bullying and sexting)
3.  The permanence of information posted online (students don't realize the web is archived every couple of days)
4.  Critical thinking about the information found online (not everything on the web is true! ... gasp!)

I believe November makes very valid points.  While I realize the world is moving more to a digital format, I don't want to forget that there are already non-academic standards that we're teaching our students relating more to face-to-face interactions.  We already teach our students the importance of teamwork, cooperation, respect, and communication, and I hope we don't lose sight of the fact that face-to-face skills are as important as digital skills. 

What really struck a cord with me was reading November's 4th point regarding critical thinking.  I can't even count how many of my 5th graders have at one point reported back bogus information when researching on the web.  I think it's incredibly important to equip students with the skills they need to be able to determine what makes a website credible.  I also think that encouraging higher level thinking skills helps us teach students about plagiarism and the importance of being able to summarize information and put it into their own words.  I usually tackle these huge issues by providing "mini-lessons" throughout a project that involves research on the web.  I don't really have any time built into my schedule/curriculum that would allow me to focus on it solely, so it becomes necessary to overlap.

I think I'd like to focus more on his point about developing empathy in our students next year.  Understanding and appreciating different viewpoints is a lifelong skill that can only benefit students.