What is needed to be a Digital Citizen?

Ah! Its Saturday night, I’m sitting back, with an Iced Tea, watching Silverchair and Powderfinger on the Telly. I pick up my Laptop and open Vienna to catch up with my blog-roll. After reading Will Richardson’s blog “the kids are alright” I was lead to read Alec Couros’ “Understanding Digital Citizenship.” Hmm. Alec really starts the thought processes going, and Will has some very good additions too.

Below are the ongoing thoughts that I’ve had after mulling on this for a little while. It starts off as the comment I made to Alec’s article, then continues on from there.

This is a very important subject, and one that we as educators need to look good and hard at. I will be posting some thoughts to this on my blog, once I have digested what you’ve said and the thoughts that spawn from this (herewith). There’s so much that can be said, but in the end, we want our students to learn the appropriate way to use the Internet. The way that keeps them safe, aware, informed. The Internet is a great tool, Web 2.0 allows interaction like never before, and hey, not all of it is bad! How do we as Educators use this when the current trend is to stick a filter in front of it so that it can’t be seen, and therefore doesn’t exist in what we teach? I know some teachers that are banging their heads against brick walls trying to get to use some of these fantastic new tools. It’s my dream that we can work out a compromise on this. I’d like to know the answer to this problem. But alas, will there ever be a definitive one?

As the Internet, and the new technologies grow, I bet these sorts of problems will too. But in saying that, ignoring them doesn’t help either. We have a wish list of things that we would like to be able to do with our students in 2008, and how we are going to do some of them seem like a “far away” thing. What reaction would you get when you ask for a class set of Mobile Phones so you can teach the students to twitter? In reality most of the students (if not all) will have them already, but they are not meant to have them at school so we cant encourage that!

What are your thoughts on this? Do we draw a line, put in a filter, or do we open up the world?

What happens to the Old School?

I’ve been playing with some great new tools today thanks to my friend Graham. Things like PopFly and Microsoft Robot Studio. These are some cool little tools.

Microsoft Robotics Studio brings the programming of Robots into a realistic 3D world. Add to that the Soccer or Sumo Tournament that can be downloaded and I’m sure that our Students will have great time with it.

PopFly is still in Beta, and once released I think it will be a very handy teaching tool. I also think that once LG gets it onto her Tablet she will see the opportunities that it holds within. I can see her Year 9 IST class producing some pretty impressive content. Used with Visual Studio, which we have under the Schools Agreement, and this little beauty can be used to cover a myriad of the outcomes I’m sure.

The sad thing will be what happens to the “Old School” tools. This really is a time where new technologies are being used in a variety of Educational Projects. Teachers really do have to keep up or they will find themselves being left behind. We are already seeing ways in which Students are showing their Teachers a thing or two, so ICT in Educaton is surely a bi-directional learning experience.

Of course the sad part of this is that I have just created a lot more work for my team in this already too busy Roll-Out for 2008. It will be worth it when I see what our Students will create.

Roll on 2008.

It is finished!

Well several things finished today……..

• Our School Term. Today was the last day for our Students, and as always it was sad to see the farewells between friends. Some of these friendships had built up over many years, these could be anything up to 12 – 14 if they went through PreSchool together.
• All Staff on deck. Tomorrow is our last official Staff Day for Teaching staff, and likewise we will see some staff move on too.
• My last lot of Study. I have just finished my last assignment in a “far too spread out timewise” Distance Education course.

It’s funny how I have watched teachers that have had to push and push for some of their students to hand in work on time, if at all in some cases. It always brings to me a chuckle, as i think “I couldn’t do that (be patient that is),” or , “why don’t you just get it over and done with and hand your assignment in.”

With almost uncanny clarity I was reminded by a small voice inside “don’t you have an assignment to finish Andrew?” Well yes, but it was meant to be in 2 1/2 years ago, I cant do it now.

Ah but I was challenged, not only by my inner-self, but by those around me. I sent off a quick email to my tutor, sort of a “hey I jut found my old assignment and thought i should finish it, but thought i better get the OK form you first” type of message.

He very quickly replied, “Great, but its got to be in by 14th December, as we cant mark that course after this year.” Say what now? 2 weeks! I had 2 weeks!

Well I am happy that I can now say “it is finished!”

Time to get stuck into the College Network and Infrastructure so that it is all on-line by start of Term 1 2008. This is our biggest Roll-Out ever and we are going to have to hit the ground on Monday running at full pelt. I just know next year is going to be a “big one.” I have lots of ideas, and I’m sure that I will be prodded with many more as the year goes on.

This time next year we’ll sit back and see what the outcomes were. I know I’m excited.