Like Hitch in his blog post about King I feel a sense of optimism despite the roadblocks. I believe this comes from the privilege I have had to be able to take university classes that open my eyes to new possibilities, new perspectives in education and new ways to learn. I have had the opportunity to critically engage with texts and learning and teaching tools that have been curated for me by my professors and discovered and communicated to me by my scholar colleagues. I have had the window opened for me to a great stream of knowledge-old and new, being created by people who have a unique expert understanding of their own circumstances and points of view that I can learn from. By participating in networked communities, through action, reflection, and communication I have been jettisoned into a new world of opportunity so rich, and the only thing holding me back is myself.
Many educators have wondered, how can participation in connected learning happen for their students without access to phones or computers in the classroom. I believe that all a teacher needs is one computer for an entire classroom to be connected and have access to the riches I speak of. I wish I could remember where I saw this, but a good example of this was a bunch of students hanging out after school with their math teacher, used the teacher’s tablet pc to make short math “How to” films to help other students. They began publishing them and the whole thing took off. It deeply impacted the students who did the creating. They had “become themselves, as makers, producers, editors’ and by publishing their videos, became connected with others who used them. (quote from Looking with the heart: Celebrating the human in the digital.) Another good example was Tahira Jones-Washington’s class in creating their own “How to” video.
A few things stand out to me as key to equity in connected learning.
Many educators have wondered, how can participation in connected learning happen for their students without access to phones or computers in the classroom. I believe that all a teacher needs is one computer for an entire classroom to be connected and have access to the riches I speak of. I wish I could remember where I saw this, but a good example of this was a bunch of students hanging out after school with their math teacher, used the teacher’s tablet pc to make short math “How to” films to help other students. They began publishing them and the whole thing took off. It deeply impacted the students who did the creating. They had “become themselves, as makers, producers, editors’ and by publishing their videos, became connected with others who used them. (quote from Looking with the heart: Celebrating the human in the digital.) Another good example was Tahira Jones-Washington’s class in creating their own “How to” video.
A few things stand out to me as key to equity in connected learning.
- The willingness of the teacher to open up a dialogue with the students that can create a safe space for students to share their ideas and take risks.
- The willingness of the teacher to go with the flow, even if it takes them in unexpected directions. This is how the learning experience can become more equitable, by letting students interests and passions find their way into the conversation and into how a particular learning experience happens.
- Reaching out beyond the classroom to publish student’s creative work, or their inquiry research process to forge social interactions and foster social learning.