Sink or Swim

After a very interesting staff meeting Wednesday night where we rated our own ICT skills and worked as a staff to map out a school based goal for the future, it has become very obvious that the new age of teaching/learning is fast approaching.

This became even more noticeable after reading and reflecting on some of the posts found at Douchys Blog (http://web.mac.com/andrewdouch/Site/Blog/Blog.html) In particular "ban the biros" where douchy talks about preparing students for their future and not the past. Personally i couldnt agree more, is the art of writing becoming outdated and uninspiring? Is their anything wrong with the societal shift towards computer based communications and the abandonment of the correct english language?

Im not against teaching students the basics (its how i was educated) but surely there comes a time when the focus must move, after all didnt we once write with quils and speak using only formal register? Im almost certain there would have been controversary when biro's were introduced and a loosening in vocabulary was noticeable amongst the masses.

So what does this mean for the future? I feel it would be a massive contridiction on our behalf as educators if we dont accept the fact that these things are begining to undergo the biggest change since we moved from Heiroglyphics...lol. The critics will argue that students will loose their grammar and spelling skills but to me this is just a cop out and a way to ignore the changes which are inevitable....

Todays students are absorbing more and more forms of technology that have the power to change their place and view of the world. No longer is your lesson bound to 4 walls and a chalkboard there are amazing programs and tools which have the potential to engage ALL STUDENTS. I say that with capitals as ive seen it happen in my own classes, students who struggle with the traditional methods finding new ground using teaching tools such as podcasts and interactive website based lessons, the possibilities are endless.... If your intersted
in reading more about some of the super cool teaching tools that are starting to be used in classrooms have a read here http://web20teach.blogspot.com/

Just a thought to finish on...If our main role as teachers is to communicate and our audience is indeed the students then shouldnt we be changing our teaching practices to suit the our audience? This is the way they think and communicate, I dont blame kids for being bored and disengaged when teachers choose to ignore the way they truly learn and share information

Will you sink or swim?