Lessons Learned

I received a post recently from a fifth grade student. Her big brother had been a student of mine a few years prior. I certainly missed having the opportunity to have her as well. Her teacher, a good friend of mine, had shared that this student, "Jellybean", had begun her own blog about books that she is literally consuming this year. Needless to say, I had to check it out! Prior to this, I had completed my first digital story which I posted to her blog. I added my name to her list of followers, too! I wouldn't be talking about any of this without the knowledge and skill that I gained through my participation in a class on 21st Century Learning. In just four sentences she sums up my lessons learned. Her post?

I saw this video on my blog, and I just loved it. My teacher also liked it a lot.

I think it is really cool that you can make a movie. I have no idea how to.

~April 25, 2010

• I saw this video on my blog, and I just loved it. Here is a student who taught herself to create a blog related to those things she is very much interested in. And it was done on her own time outside of the school day. Our students are doing most,if not all, of their digital communication on their own. In school, there remains a flow of information to our students but not from them. Lesson Learned: I need to be an agent of change. Teachers need to be supported in their efforts to integrate current practice/curriculum with technology so that students can contribute information rather than remain consumers.

• My teacher also liked it a lot. I learned more about myself as a writer through the digital storytelling process than I had in many of the classes that I have taken! The images, music, and narration added to the story I have been waiting to tell about the influence my grandparents had on my life. Lesson Learned: Digital storytelling can help writers to focus, narrow down their topic, revise well, edit for content, think critically, gain a better sense of audience, and learn something about themselves in the process.

• I think it is really cool that you can make a movie. Ah! This student's interest is piqued. Lesson Learned: When students, like myself, are shown the possibilities that content and technology can create they naturally want to know more, do more. I have learned that it is important to share what I have done, to continue to learn more, and to advocate for these opportunities.

• I have no idea how. We are missing an opportunity here. This student will be in middle school next year. I can only imagine what she might be able to communicate if this tool were at her disposal. Lesson Learned: 21st Century Learning is about more than technology, it is about providing students with the critical thinking skills they need in order to be successful. Technology is a powerful tool used by students to effectively communicate their thinking, learning, ideas.

There is much more for me to learn...I am still getting my thinking around Google Docs! Digital Writing Workshop is my new passion and focus for learning. Wish me luck as I take this "on the road" in the district with the teachers I am fortunate enough to work with.