Alan November Video Clip

I came across this video clip entitled, "Myths and Opportunities: Technology in the Classroom" by Alan November. The clip is very well done for the way it is filmed and for its content. It begins by having the viewer feel like he/she is driving inside a car down the streets of Marblehead, MA. Alan talks about how Marblehead was one of the largest towns before the Revolutionary War. He speaks about how people survived there by trading on the open sea. These people had a sense of being part of a global nation. Alan believes globalization is something many people today don't have a sense of. He goes on to state that schools don't value that kind of thinking. Alan works with schools trying to convince them to globalize the curriculum.

Alan November believes that schools don't do a very good job of developing critical thinking as a skill. He goes on to say that we have to do a better job of identifying the critical skills we want kids to have in school. He states several skills that kids will need to focus on in school. Kids should take on the roles of: global communicator, global researcher, tool builder who works with search engines and internal collaborator who works with Google docs.

What Alan November talks about is that pedagogical paradigm shift where the student becomes a self-directed learner. They become reflective, ask questions, figure out what they have learned over time and what they have to do next. They become lifelong learners.

Alan has some great ideas and if you get a chance, you might want to watch this video.

Back on Track Again

I've been negligent about posting, so I'm going to try to be a little more faithful about posting some news, thoughts, etc. I have. One of the things that I'd like to share is the link to a wonderful online conference. This K-12 online conference has been held around the same time every year. This year's conference features many wonderful presentations. If you have about an hour's block of time on any given day, listen to one of the presentations. You can't beat learning in the comfort of your home.