Vicki Davis inspired all of the NCTIES conference attendees during her opening keynote. Here, I’m going to share some of the notes I took during her message. She began with the following premise:

“It’s not about the technology. It’s about what the technology lets you do.” ~ David Warlick

Most teachers are learners, and Vicki says we should all set a goal to learn three new things each year. Then we need to give ourselves the gift of 10 – 15 minutes three times a week to explore these new things. After all, if we are not exploring, creating, and learning, how can we expect our students to do the same?

Keeping with the conference theme, Vicki said that we have to decide that we WANT to make over our classrooms. Otherwise we won’t really do it. Don’t just say we’ll try; decide we will do it! Recognize the need for a change, and set goals for ourselves. After all, the world around us is constantly changing and there are new things to learn, both for teachers and for students.

She shared the following video which was scripted and created by Peggy Sheehy’s students at Suffern Middle School.  The kids are saying such things as…

“The future is ready for us. Are we ready for it?”
“The future is ours. You have to give it to us.”
“I can’t create MY future with the tools of YOUR past.” (ouch!)

Notice that the students are not asking for no homework, no work. They want to work and create! They are just asking schools to meet their future. These kids are on Facebook and other social networking sites. In the future, they may not be able to find jobs because they are not networking! Schools need to teach them how to safely use the internet sites that they are exploring on their own. (You can keep them safe and still teach them rock climbing.)

Schools have to be able to take acceptable risks. Otherwise, they will never innovate and move on. Schools need to consider allowing teachers to override the internet filter when they need to use a site that is currently blocked. Speaking of filters, she also asked why schools punish everyone because a few teachers do not properly supervise their students? Blocking should be a curriculum decision, not an IT decision.

Computers should not be considered babysitters, something to keep the kids occupied. Students should not be rewarded with a trip to the computer lab to play. Computers are tools that should be integrated seamlessly into the classroom instruction.

Effective curriculum constructs effective online spaces. Sometimes, kids are the best textbook ever written for each other! Did you know that in Finland, teachers actually choose their textbooks based on the needs of their students?

Teachers will innovate when someone is there providing assistance and giving them confidence. That person (that would be my position!) needs to provide little bites of information to help teachers become independent but not overwhelm them. Expect slow but steady improvement. Eventually, the teacher needs to own it!

Remember that technology is a tool, and what you DO helps you pick your tools. Are you ready for the future?

More NCTIES Posts:

Opening Keynote
Photography Problems
Digital Tools for Digital Kids
Assessment with Technology
SmartBoard in Upper Elementary
Skype in the Classroom
More Than YouTube
Closing Keynote

Merry Christmas!

There is a learning curve involved with anything new, and everything was once new, even the book! I believe that every single teacher in my schools used something in technology last year that was new to you, and you did it with great success. Don’t be afraid to try new things, and please, never hesitate to ask for help. Consider me your modern day (medieval) helpdesk.

Turn your speakers on and enjoy the video!

I completely understand how difficult it can be to provide students with the types of technologies referred to in the video with the current emphasis on SOLs and NCLB. By working together, we can provide students with more opportunities to show what they have learned by creating their own digital projects such as podcasts, digital stories, blogs, and slideshows.

Tina and I hope to create a similar video using Salem elementary students that we will share with you next fall. It will be very interesting to see how our students’ comments compare with those of the students in the YouTube video above.

Thanks for all you do every day, even on the days when you feel like this!