Jennifer Corriero was great. She talked very powerfully of the role of youth and the Net Generation.
She spoke about why we should care about the role that technology is playing in the NET- generation.
This group of young people, which no longer includes me as I was born before 1980, has a strong sense of
independence which naturally flows on to an emotional and intellectual openness. There is a sense in which they expect inclusion - that leadership is built no longer on hierarchy but on networking and social inclusion, finding and adding your voice because it deserves to be heard: the building of ideas and knowledge flows from free expression without fear but with confidence.
She spoke of their need for immediacy and said that they also need to learn patience.
“Patience after all…” she said “..is a virtue”
I would add “…and God give it to me quickly.”
The role of youth I found interesting….
Youth as the student whereby they are now mentors and facilitators, joining, what Jennifer referred to as Global Teachers.
Youth as the citizen, the community leader and active volunteer. (She didn’t say it but I got the impression that there was an emphasis on the word ACTIVE.)
Youth as the consumer, powerfully setting trends being ‘Information Society leaders’. And…
Youth as the child, but no longer the victim but a role model and source of inspiration.
Things have been going hard out right now with establishing a new class, getting them up to speed with my technology and having the two presentions coming up (this Wenesday no less). I recieved an encouraging email from my friend and colleague Russell Perry today.
Gidday, Simon and Chrissy.
I just wanted to offer my very best wishes for your presentations at L@S.
I know that you will be a bit tense: it’s an awesome thing that you are
doing to share your learning with others, but of course there is personal
risk in it and you show great courage in stepping up. From what I have seen
of both of you though, the things that will carry you through are your
professionalism, your zest for teaching, the excitement you have for
delivering fresh opportunities to kids, and a pair of bloody good, inclusive
smiles. Have fun, stay humble, let the audience speak – and the day will be
yours!
May it go well, guys.
God bless,
Russell.
As you can tell, he gave me some good advice. So here’s my first bit of honesty and humility. I always said working with technology is humbling experience. As is the way with all these things: I’d prepared the presentation for my Friday rehersal with Chrissy and that all went well, except the wireless gave up on us during the evening. I went home feeling fairly happy and even managed some down time…. little did I realise that what I thought ws quiet confidence my computer took to be arrogance and, withthe new upgrade of Talk&Write promptly refused to run at all during our test on Monday, but it wasn’t finished there. I went home somewhat conserned and explained the whole thing to my ever patient wife how “It’s not running there must be a design fault in the upgrade…. what am I going to do… I’m going o look a right idiot. etc… etc.” Then I turn it on just to show what’s happening, and …. yes you guessed it. It ran like a dream.
Have a lookat this article from Campbell Live.
In my humble opinion it is great that a principal is taking a stand. Let’s remember that these are last years fees of $108. That is weekly payment of $2. The Principal is not requesting payment up front but the school has been carrying that debt of $2916 for twelve months. The Ministry said “Students can’t be a barganing chip”. I totally agree, however I read somewhere that parents are the chief educators of their children and teachers are only the subcontractors. It is a shame that a student has left school for the sake of $2 a week.
It is also a shame that education is not free and that school fees have to used to suppliment the budgets, but as it stands currently that’s the way it is.
Watch that space. I would love to hear a follow up to that. Will the board be replaced? Will the Principal back down? If he does how far behind will the next budget be before it begins?
Hat off to you Roger Menzie, and the board of Fielding High school.
Here’s the challenge for this term. I say term but really it has to be done REAL soon. How do you create a matrices for the ‘Managing Self’ Key Competency? What does that really look like. The staff at my school created one for Information Skills anda couple of others which I hope to share with you some time. But looking at ‘Managing Self’ appears to be a big, fat rock right now. Answers and suggestions to the usual address.
As I put my presentation together for the Learning at Schools conference I had an exciting email from the great Peter Kent, who I met in Hamilton at the Sitech conference last year. Anyway, I’m excited because there is a possiblity now of going global with School Skyping (Well southern hemisphere anyway).
On another note, my class have really begun to have a go with the IWB and the school pad. It’s fun just watching. Kids learn so fast when their engaged and can see the purpose in what they are doing.
