These young learners are earnestly asking educators and school administrators to unblock currently fire walled learning tools, social networks wikis, blogs and virtual worlds:

• “I know how to memorise.” “Teach me to think.”

• “I know how to recite. “ “Teach me to create.“

• ” We want to talk to the world.”

• “We want to make mistakes and try again.“

• “You dont trust me.” “We are not cheating.” ” We are collaborating.”
  

• “We are not lazy.” “We are bored.“

• “Can you help us?” “Can you unblock it?” “We know you’re afraid.”
  

• “We are different.” “We want you to help us.” ““We want you to understand us.” “We need your guidance.”

• “Step out of the textbook.“  “Out of the testing.“ “Let me show you what I can really do.”

• “Prepare me for my future.” “It said you can come too.” “The future is happening.”

• “Outside of school we are there already.” “We want you to be brave and come with us.”

No Future Left Behind by Peggy Sheehy’s Suffern Middle School (NY) technology students jointly won the Net Generation Education Project competition. Both winners brilliantly demonstrate why banning social media tools is paramount to banning learning engagement.

It’s not the technology that is fire walled but human potential!

Immersion in data. And I thought I was already over my head! What would Ken Wilber say or even Timothy Leary?

This gobsmacking TED video synthesises virtual reality (and human thinking) in its highest form courtesy of the University of California. Surely the AlloSphere’s creator Joann Kuchera-Morin and her research team are giving us insights into our spiritual dimension? It feels like the AlloSphere in some way is decoding mysterious unseen dimensions-it is! To manifest the quantum in such a sensually subsuming sphere, to audibly hear molecules and to ultimately interact with them is meeting ourselves at the deepest level.

• What if this model met with augmented reality? Would we all be using it for self healing?
• Would the medical practitioner be an adventure tour guide navigating tissue landscapes helping us to re pattern our own meta data for health?

Image courtesy of Marty S Flickr

What better way to INVITE learning for myself and for others than with authentic lifelong learning demonstrated anticipated expected? Rather like Confidence-Based Learning, in a Personal Learning Network feedback is immediate and self correction/explanation also, which raises engagement and retention.

It is the rising tide of collaboration…the transparency in thinking…which has raised all ships.

Everybody benefits from the transparency. This is a trend that is not going away. As an employer, I am looking for evidence of professional participation, leadership and self promotion. A transcript or resume just cannot tell the whole story. Self promotion, participation beyond the daily task list from the project manager…these are the traits worth rewarding. When faced with difficult choices in today’s economy, those who extend ideas which help the larger cause will always be valued more highly than those who feel entitled because of a resume, transcript, years of service. I love the quote above “You don’t have to write your online bio, but it will be written.” So, I will add: “You don’t have to prove your worth, but it will be determined.”  End of quote.

Ruth’s Summary:Transparent Learning for Professional Participation

George Siemens posted Uneven Impact on 10th Feb 2009.

Last year George Siemens had asked what does the future of education look like and I realise now that question has  been mulling on my back-burner. This post includes ideas only just gelling.

In the above link George laments both the inflexibility of higher education to cater for individual learners and the irony of those now out of work educated people who must return to that not so changed system.

My feeling is that we need a framework (I believe we now have the tools!!!) for the universal learner who is fully plugged into how to learn/think about anything, apply it to anything across everything, aware of their own independence and interdependence. They learn these meta qualities together with others yet keep adding to their knowledge independently pursuing individual subject streams-demonstrating mastery of the core “meta learner curriculum”. Students would be networked together by mentors and fellows/colleagues/thought leaders in their chosen subject areas. Thinking beyond the system will be highly sought after!

Diverse ages and interests would converge regularly for the core ‘learning about learning’…online, offline a choice. Also it wont be necessary to produce text outcomes to demonstrate competency because video, audio, visual, constructed work can suffice instead of and inclusive of text. We will tolerate all, there is demand for all.

I believe we are going to see a really changed system within a radically short period of time. I can see the change is upon us and we will really want to do it differently this time!
To me one of the most useful qualities to keep adapting and learning in a shifting economy/ecology is self belief…how to embed/instill that as core?

Will Richardson’s post points out how social media tools exclude particular learning styles. The point Will makes about Blogs requiring good reading/writing skills is certainly true of how many people practice and teach blogging. But I think that’s an outcome of the current education system – we approach blogging like writing pads/books.

Blogs will become Vlogs and there’s so much that a human body can do in front of a video camera. (Did I say that?-having said that I’m not there yet!). YouTube is the second most popular search engine.

Surely Wii opens up huge possibilities for visual/aural/kinesthetic learners…Im in love with the possibilities/realities that new digital technologies are providing.

I’m also reflecting on the technical debate about Waldorf education that Will Richardson discussed. The ‘virtual reality‘ reality makes me want Harry’s (3 years old) world grounded so he can transit between worlds more consciously. Which is partially why I’m thinking about Waldorf education. I’m off to the Tarremah Steiner School on wednesday.

I figure that I myself expose Harry to technology (we dont have a tv) and it will be widely available to him elsewhere. So too  I’m exposing him to phonics, he naturally inquires about letters and words. I let him guide me there.

I get that my ideas may not fulfill the Steiner philosophy however every Steiner School openly interprets the original Steiner pedagogy, just as in Christianity and Buddhism each vision is so different! So I can give Harry things that Steiner education wont and that’s the beauty.

The underlying community/earth centred spirituality, the emphasis on imagination, sensory play, beauty these are child (human) essentials. Harry will be more than what he can do for a living. It’s the why he’s doing it, how he creates it and who (how many?) is he serving that will be significant. And how he feels about it of course!

Image courtesy kardon Flickr

Digital Storytelling Resources — open thinking

Teacher Alec Couros sent out a tweet on his Twitter PLN (Personal Learning Network) after a student inquired about Digital Story Telling Resources. PLN responded and Alec has compiled the responses as a blog list here.

Cool example of Twitter in classroom. Another good reason for a PLN!

I’ve used “blog this” and Scribefire to cobble this post.

It’s possible to send Flickr images to Twitter too. So the results of a class/student query could be graphed to fellow PLN.

• I usually use Scribefire (can save to draft)

• Clipmarks (no drafts) to post content directly from the web. Clipmarks is a favourite because it actually embeds text box functionality into my food trend blog-Ive customised a search tool just by Clipmarking search boxes! So now to try if Clipmarks will post to Live Writer and on to blog?

• I love “blog this” Flickr. It is beautiful for inserting creative commons images found on Flickr. I wonder if it posts to Live Writer? Otherwise just to have my draft written and add to “blog this”. I need to have my post thought out like Clipmarks no drafts.

• Zemanta Firefox Extension is another free blog software from which I can blog images and text, with built in content suggestions. So far the images are small compared to “Blog this” not very lush-and I’ve yet to get up and running with it. It appears distracting its not really like I’m seeking new info I usually have things I want to explore…Ive since unplugged from Zemanta as I do find it distracting and I dont favour the size of the images nor the settings for their placement.

• Windows Live Writer Fast-loading, I can manage both of my blogs in one place (without logging into each one). Insert maps, tables, pictures, videos, tags, plugins. Ping and trackbacks. I can see my entire post without having to keep scrolling!!! Write my post offline without even browsing the web. Drafts can be saved directly to the web. And significantly I can focus on my content without getting distracted by learning my Wordpress dashboard! It’s a few weeks now and I haven’t been using Livewriter, I’ve so far preferred Scribefire and just getting use to this tiny editing window! I keep thinking that Google Notes must have a use…if I have an idea for a discussion I’ll file it away inside my dashboard under unpublished posts to chew on.

I can really appreciate this mix of clay modeling for garnering both intuitive insight and pragmatism . Ive used similar construction methods as a textile designer, however also and especially whilst studying art therapy. Working with the ‘clayfield’ a remarkable tool-clay modeling as a therapeutic dialogue with the unconscious.

Thinking in 3D Kinesthetic Modeling

Im inspired to think seriously about incorporating this approach as a warm up exercise for students grappling with planning phases for bigger projects or analytical projects. But perhaps even smaller ones. Like a here I am now there is where Id like to be at completion and these are the stages/activities to lead me there. But also of course not so prescriptive. Clay is highly intuitive.
And Im thinking use the clay as a mindmap?