Comments on: Purposeful Networking

By: Kate Olson

Kate Olson — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 11:37:59 +0000

@JohnJohansen you’ve brought up a really important issue, and I’m not sure of the solution yet. One thing we face in schools are very strong network filters that don’t allow access to many networking sites. This is the most basic hurdle to bridging the distance between play and productivity with technology. We aren’t able to model how to use technology appropriately/productively if we don’t have access. Thanks again for the great blogging post I referenced in this post!

@indigo196 digital natives is just one of those terms that it’s really easy to throw around without truly thinking of what’s behind it. Labeling generations is tough at any time, and grouping that with a skill set so controversial as technology use just isn’t logical.

@durff you provided such great food for thought that day on twitter about the ustream session - great stuff! I’m so happy I was able to stop in and learn from that forum - thanks for letting us all know about it.

@Aaron - yet again, thanks for taking the time to talk to me, companies like Mzinga are really showing educators what skills our students will need to thrive in business!

@Corrie - I love this! “In order for students to see these tools as more than playthings, they need to see that use modeled. Getting teachers up to speed on this new world is crucial, but just as important is to find those students who are already going more than a layer down, incent them to go even deeper, and then reward the heck out of that behavior.” So many students’ great work is often overlooked by labeling an entire generation - it IS very important to give incentives to those who go above and beyond and model the skills we’d like to see in all of our students. As for modeling by educators, that’s key - how will students know how to use these tools productively if they’re the only ones using them? Of course, in order to model, teachers would need access……….

@edtechworkshop - I agree completely, the network of educators is amazing and I wouldn’t give mine up for anything! Stepping outside that to interact with other professionals from around the world is very interesting, though, and the “no borders” atmosphere is something that is unique to the online environment.

@Marie - very true about teachers not networking, but it’s true about all professions. Time and location are always issues, which is what is so neat about the online environment. I don’t network at school because I never have time to leave my classroom!

@Sue - loved your post and did read Darren’s post - looks like we’re all thinking the same thing!

@JohnLarkin - you’re a constant inspiration, thanks for all the learning you’ve shared with me - as for working too hard, blogging isn’t work for me - it’s one of my favorite things to do

By: John Larkin

John Larkin — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 06:18:13 +0000

Hi Kate,

Great post. I have saved it as a pdf so I can digest it all. Thanks for the link to my post about those little digital dilettantes!

Remember, don’t work too hard Kate!

Cheers, John

By: Sue Waters

Sue Waters — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 05:09:22 +0000

Hi Kate - thanks for linking to my post and thought you might like to read the comments in Darren’s post I’m Dissappointed in the Technology Skills of My Students. Most interesting was that I wrote a lengthy comment about digital natives, which took me so long to write that by the time it was posted others had written similar also stating fairly similar thoughts. This post is definitely worth a read — most importantly the comments left.

By: Marie

Marie — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:34:34 +0000

I was actually thinking the other day, how did teachers connect before networking? They didn’t. Only with those teachers in their schools via the staffroom! I remember spending lunch-hours at Dymocks (bookstore) scouring for class resources as I was always on the lookout for interesting materials (rather than regurgitating the same material for each class as some teachers tended to do). Yes it has certainly opened up a whole world of support and connections that I now cannot imagine life without.

Marie

By: edtechworkshop

edtechworkshop — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 22:07:12 +0000

Very thought-provoking post. How do I reach beyond my profession to stay connected? Truthfully, this is counter to the ideas you present (which I completely agree with), but I spend so much time online and on the computer within my profession (education) that I try to make my beyond the profession connections in the offline world. I read books, talk to people, and stuff like that, which connects me with my body, the world around me and others who are in my community but have diverse interests. It is almost like existing in two worlds.
I have been an educator for over 15 years but only recently started a blog, and I have found that blogging has been the key to becoming (or trying to become) part of a network of educators that I barely knew existed.
As for solutions to breaking down the barriers….I think it is happening slowly but surely every day. And, of course, the network of the teachers is key. As you know, I immediately went to the network the other day when I had a run-in of sorts with a parent. The network was there to provide support for me, and knowing I have this support helps me go forward in my little corner of the world to increase networking opportunities for my students.

By: Corrie Bergeron

Corrie Bergeron — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:53:55 +0000

This is an excellent summary of the current state of affairs. I was just in a meeting with a college dean who noted that while students may have great abilities to surf and text, they interact with information at a very shallow level.

But these new tools enable a very deep engagement with people as well as content. An example was given of a history instructor in the US covering the Revolutionary War, who Skyped into the classroom of a colleague in the UK, allowing the students to debate the war from - literally - both sides of the Atlantic.

In order for students to see these tools as more than playthings, they need to see that use modeled. Getting teachers up to speed on this new world is crucial, but just as important is to find those students who are already going more than a layer down, incent them to go even deeper, and then reward the heck out of that behavior.

By: Aaron Strout

Aaron Strout — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 17:30:36 +0000

Kate/Stephanie - great post. Really meaty with great information. It was great being able to spend a little bit of time talking F2F about this topic.

Best,
Aaron (@astrout)

By: durff

durff — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:36:32 +0000

Thank you for referencing me! I was just discussing the use of a chat room for networking with middle schoolers. This topic intrigues me!!

By: indigo196

indigo196 — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:21:57 +0000

Very solid post. It is interesting to see that your survey and the information from your conversation with Aaron indicate that our young students are not really ‘digital natives’. I have often thought the term digital native was tossed around by people who wanted an excuse for the lack of their own knowledge regarding technology; it would allow them to remain ignorant by making two assumptions:

1. Technology was just for young people
2. Young people get all the technology education they need without getting it at school.

It is time for education (the institution) to realize that they failed my generation (I am 40+) and they are failing this one as well… and the attempts they are making now amount to little more than creating the environment that was needed in the 80s and 90s.

By: John Johansen

John Johansen — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:59:57 +0000

Kate and Stephanie, you really put a lot of work into this post and it shows. I hadn’t considered social networks from this perspective, having had some years to work on my own purposeful networking skills I see applications for those skills in the Web2.0 tools.

I agree that education needs to teach socialization. It happens naturally at school, when you get the mass of kids into one location they have to learn how to interact.
But translating that to an online context is much more difficult.

And yet, there are some indications that kids really are understanding how to connect online. Or, for the generation after the Net Gen, they aren’t seeing the clear lines that separate online and offline interactions.
http://www.annhandley.com/2008/03/16/what-is-a-friend/

So, when those trends combine, how does traditional education incorporate the children’s online communities in a way that validates their relationships without disrupting their education?

I know I’ve just opened the question wider than providing any answers. Hope you don’t mind.