WHAT IT ALL MEANS
I really enjoyed this last chapter and thought it did a wonderful job of summing up what we have explored through the journey of this book. I was surprised how I fully agreed with each big idea in this chapter and each section made a lot of sense to me and I could easily follow the "shift" they were talking about. This chapter basically was asking the question of what are we going to do after now being introduced to all the different tools and benefits of the read/write web?
They made a good point in the beginning of this chapter that when today's students enter their post-education professional lives, the odds are pretty good that they will be asked to work with others from around the world collaboratively to create content for diverse and wide-ranging audiences. So how does that compare to the educational system now where we ask students to work independently on a paper for a very narrow audience? It doesn't really make much sense now does it? Never thought about it like that, but it is a very thought-provoking question that should make us think about the education we will be providing by being future educators.
By using the power of the read/white web we are allowing learning to continue long after the class ends. The web is basically a conversation, not a lecture, where knowledge is shaped and acquired through a social process! As we grow and continue the journey through our world we are coming upon a new definition of literacy, which is important for us as educators to understand. We have always defined literate as being able to read and write, but those are no longer enough to define the term literate. Being literate now means to also be able to be an editor, publisher, manager of information, and participate. The end of this section sums it up clearly, "If we fail to graduate students who are not able to create, sustain, and participate in these networks in safe, ethical, and effective ways, we've done them a disservice." This is so true. It is our duty as a teacher to make sure our students are leaving the classroom with a knowledge of what the real world is going to throw at them. We need to supply them with the tools that will forever be a part of their lives. It is our duty.
The chapter went on to discuss the Big Shifts, which I felt were all very clear and easy to agree with on every level. Big Shirt number one was "open content." This shift talks about how it used to be that schools and teachers owned the content that was shared with students. So outside of what schools provided, students had limited access to additional information about the subjects they were studying. Today though all that information is right at their finger tips. Shift number two was "many, many teachers and 24/7 learning." The web allows for us to connect to a variety of different teachers and share ideas and experiences! This allows for us to broaden our understanding of learning. Big shift number three was "the social, collaborative construction of meaningful knowledge." The web allows for students to produce work in truly collaborative ways for large audiences. Big shift number four was "teaching is conversation, not lecture." Explanatory. Big shift number five was "know 'where' learning."' As we move away from textbooks we have to be able to create our own texts from all the different tools and resources we are given on the web! Shift number six was "readers are no longer just readers." Textbook and handouts which were previously (and still) what students were offered with were a given that they were credible sources and there were no grammars found within those texts. However, by using the web students are not safe by just reading the material, but they must be editors and critical consumers of the information they use. I really liked reading about this big shift because it had never occurred to me before and it makes perfect sense! Shift seven was "the web as a notebook (portfolio)." Shift eight was "writing no longer limited to text." We can write by audio, music, digital photographs and much more! Shift nine was "mastery is the product, not the test."They ask a very powerful question that makes you think of how we assess our students, "Would you feel safe in a world where kids were awarded drivers licenses by just passing the written test?" Noooooo. Mastery can now be shown through performance. The big and last shift number 10 was "contribution, not completion, as the ultimate goal." Explanatory.
So what does all this mean? I now know as a future teacher I need to be a connector. I also need to become a content creator. In order to teach these tools, I first need to know how to effectively and correctly use them myself. I also need to become a true collaborator. I need to see myself as more of a learner along side my students. I also need to think of myself as more of a coach who models the skills that students need to be successful and motivate them to strive for excellence. Lastly, I need to be a change agent. I need to fully support these changes and move away from the safe, traditional way of teaching. It might be scary, but I am all for giving my students the education they NEED and DESERVE. It is my job you know.
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