I have to go back to Will Richardson’s book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classroom as I continue to connect with points made in this resource. The book makes me think of the fact that learning never stops so, therefore, teaching should never stop either. In his chapter on social networks, Richardson (2010) talks extensively about the power of social networking in schools and shares several strong examples of how teachers have used the formal social networking site, Ning.com, to enrich students’ educational experiences and help them accomplish major projects like a 120 hour career exploration (Richardson, 2010). This learning and student engagement is taking place outside of the classroom, 24 hours a day. In one example, a teacher set up a Ning for students in his Marine Biology class and it has transformed into a place where students, former students, experts, and people interested in marine biology share information in a structured and educational fashion ALL times of the day and night! This clearly takes learning beyond the classroom and creates a learning experience that students can literally access long after they have left the building. It may not be all together comfortable for teachers to get used to the idea that they can and should make learning accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and I respect that. However, this does not mean that a teacher needs to answer every question or discussion prompt within minutes of a student post. Rather, it is the act of posting a deep and meaningful discussion question that students answer and discuss online that takes the learning from a single experience to one that occurs repeatedly over an extended period of time, all times of the day. When students engage in an online, threaded discussion that may last over several days, they are thinking about course content, building critical thinking through reflective discussion, and engaging in the language of learning even when they are not sitting in class. Teachers who have used Edmodo, for example, have seen students posting late at night or early in the morning (especially the day before final posts are due). This is real, authentic learning and it is taking place far beyond the walls of the traditional classroom and it is taking place 24 hours a day.
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Corwin Press. Thousand Oaks, CA.
Teaching really is a 24/hour job. Education never stops and we are on the forefront of it's development as educators. I always think about Professor Pope and how much she must do during one day to teach, develop lesson plans, post comments and blog, and create these video sessions. GOSH! It seems we must really have to have the drive and passion to keep up with education and so many are falling behind or content with the way it is. How do we change the field so that those coming in understand it's demand?
ReplyDeleteTyler, I'm so glad that you wrote about an aspect of 24/7 learning that I've been wrestling with myself. I agree that it is important to respect the boundaries of teaching professionals and not *expect* (or even encourage) teachers to respond to student posts at hours of the day and night that should be off-limits. The exciting thing about our world is that teachers and student CAN contribute to a class wiki whenever they are inspired and processing the material. It's that freedom and accessibility that make learning and teaching all the more relevant to people's lives. I mean, there's real truth to some people being "morning people" as well as some being "night owls" so it's nice we have ways to capture that energy when it is fresh and relevant.
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