Saskatchewan IT Summit 2010 - Keynote Will Richardson - A Web of Connections - Why the Read/Write Web Changes Everything

Will Richardson
http://weblogg-ed.com/
http://willrichardson.wikispaces.com/

The students today are grown up in a world where you can connect with anyone, anywhere in the world. This is a big shift from where we were when we were being trained as educators.

Example of children in South Carolina who helped a blind boy be able to beat the game Zelda.
Demonstrated how your notes on a Kindle are all logged onto your own Kindle page. (I own a kindle myself and this is one of my favourite parts of owning a Kindle.) Definitely a game changer!

What kinds of technologies are game changers? The future of education is not dependent on changing learning environments. (Knowledge Works Foundation). The conversation online is making us smarter because of our ability to share and discuss information.

The understanding of the power of social networking and its possibilities is important to the leaders of today or tomorrow. (Examples of YouTube (Justin Beiber) and Surfthechannel (copyright issues))
Questions about copyright and who owns what information.
Businesses (Allstate & Twitter), politics (Obama election) and media (CNN & newspapers) have shifted to incorporate social media. Education has not responded to the change in the world and the impact of social media.

Students are not waiting for us to change. They are already using them.

• Friend ways - texting, facebook, twitter, etc. (They don't need our help with this - they figure it out on their own and with the help of their friends)
• Interest ways - forming groups to discuss topics of interest (need our help to make good connections and understand the information we are receiving through these groups.)
• Private vs Public - photos and information online - control over what you post but not over what others post (we need to teach how to manage your online personal in a safe, effective and ethical ways.)
• Clustermaps on your school blog: What do your dots (map) look like? What are the quality of your dots?
• Fan fiction: Write a story and post them online - write your own stories and put them online. You can form a group with people who love the same things you do.
• Google searched - students need help to make sure that when they are being googled by future colleges, mates and employers that they are well represented.
• Information is everywhere: MIT Open course online, Khan Academy
• Self directed learning - you need to make yourself learn something on your own and make sure you students have the same abilities: Lynda.com (online training videos)
• Wikipedia - teach wikipedia (example of sources and checking facts) participatory event instead of just consuming information.
• Diigo: Add comments and analysis of articles online through your PLC. (example of an article in Science Daily) - promotes critical thinking and analysis.
•  Google Fast Flip, Google Reader, Evernote, GoodGuide: transparency is the ability to educate people we've never ever met.
• Teach how to read and write using hyperlinks - different way of reading and writing that is totally different than reading a book. This is a skill we need to teach.
• We need to develop problem solvers using inquiry skills to solve the world's problem now and in the future.

• Radio Willow (Willowdale Elementary School): Example of first graders podcasting about what they learn in their classroom.

We can't be doing things the same way we have always been doing them. We need to model these new practices by being participants. It is not easy but we need to change to ensure our students are learning what they need to learn for the future. It is an amazing time to be a learning right now. Take advantage of this opportunity to be a learner yourself.

 How are we changing ourselves so that we can guide our students into the future?