I’ve been struggling with this post for a few days now. Not just the ideas, but the words, trying to articulate this niggling negativity in my brain without giving it more due than it deserves. Not sure if I got it right even now…
No doubt, 2006 was just an incredible year personally and professionally. And it feels like the conversations we’ve been having in this community gained some serious traction last year. There are many new voices in our midst.
But for a variety of reasons, I’m not feeling a deep reservoir of optimism for 2007. And that’s not just on the education front, either. The fact is we are mired in horrible situations all around. Iraq has become a disaster, yet I’m hard pressed to name one person on either side of the political spectrum that I would trust to fix it. Our Earth is under great environmental stress, yet our culture and our society is more interested in Paris and Brittney’s partying than they are about the millions of kids in the world who don’t have clean water to drink. And for all the great things that we have to say about these tools and the potential they might bring for real learning in our classrooms, all we’re going to hear about for the next week or so is the horror of Saddam’s hanging being captured on a cell phone and spread around the Internet.
Go figure.
In terms of education, while there are certainly more people who are starting to consider these changes and their implications, the fact is there haven’t been many inroads into serious change in the classroom. Yes, there are more and more examples of teachers and students using these tools in their practice, but the numbers of examples of students on the K-12 level whose learning is being transformed by these technologies is amazingly small, at least to me. I mean really, where are the examples of students blogging…and I mean blogging, not just using blogs…and building global networks of learners? There are some, yes, but not enough to make the case that these tools can work in the current school environment.
And to be honest, it feels like the conversation in our own community is losing its way of late, like it’s hit a ceiling. Maybe it’s because we haven’t yet found a way around the filters. Or maybe it’s because we’re just solidifying our gains. Or maybe the next level of the discussion is going to be more difficult, the questions harder, the expectations higher. Or maybe it’s just me… But lately it feels like there is too much static in the signal, that it’s more about navel gazing and top 100 lists and word counts than how we make this work for kids and schools. I know…I’m not immune to that criticism either.
To that end, I have a feeling I’ll be blogging less this year and writing more outside of this community. That’s not to say that I won’t still be spending a goodly amount of time here. But I’m not going to post just for the sake of posting. And let’s face it: the reach of these ideas is still very, very small in the larger debate. On some level, it feels like it’s growing quickly. But even a 100% gain when you only have 2% of the market doesn’t amount to much. Can we reach those non-bloggers by blogging? Obviously, no. And this year just feels like such a critical moment to get out of the echo chamber. Traditional media is not dead, yet, and is still the best way, I think, to spread these ideas. At the very minimum, it’s branching out to other online communities.
And while things have changed now that I’m my own boss, please smack me if what I do write on this blog gets more focused on my work and experiences as opposed to the work and ideas of practitioners in classrooms and schools. I’ve tried to focus on where the blogs meet the road…haven’t always done a great job of that, I know. I’ll keep writing about what I think, but less about where I’m at or what I’m doing (unless it’s relevant.)
Second, I want to focus (and expand) my reading…I’ve been working to cut my RSS subscriptions from 125 or so to about 40, and I can see going even leaner. I’ve come to depend on a few trusted filters as well as a smattering of practitioner bloggers who I think keep me grounded in experience. But I’m feeling the need to get some “fresh” voices in my diet, and I’m growing more and more interested in the larger cultural conversations regarding Web 2.0 tools. Much of what’s happening out there is relevant in here.
Beyond that, I don’t know. I’ve been feeling like things are going to get worse before they get better, and I think we’re staring that reality in the face right now. There is some new verbiage being bantered around, “new” panels and commissions coming out with “new” suggestions, but none of it, I don’t think, means much until the crisis gets more acute. What’s happening right now from a cultural and global perspective has a depth that few in education really want to admit. Until they open themselves to it, I don’t see much real change happening.
What optimism I do have I share with Howard Rheingold, who writes:
The tools for cultural production and distribution are in the pockets of 14 year olds…The eager adoption of web publishing, digital video production and online video distribution, social networking services, instant messaging, multiplayer role-playing games, online communities, virtual worlds, and other Internet-based media by millions of young people around the world demonstrates the strength of their desire — unprompted by adults — to learn digital production and communication skills. Whatever else might be said of teenage bloggers, dorm-room video producers, or the millions who maintain pages on social network services like MySpace and Facebook, it cannot be said that they are passive media consumers. They seek, adopt, appropriate, and invent ways to participate in cultural production.
No doubt, 2007 will have our kids leading us further toward where we need to go…
(Photo “Looking at the Future” by Amir Fathi)
Will – I’m not as pessimistic as you – I’m seeing changes at the grassroots – it may take awhile to bloom, but its a start. I posted about it here:
http://learningismessy.com/blog/?p=176
Brian
Will,
Thanks for the honest and heartfelt post. I think that it contains a healthy skepticism about the rates of change in complex, entrenched systems. Two notes about your optimism regarding the “14 year olds” with the “tools.”
1. Remember, it’s a select group that has the tools. According to 2003 census data, 45% of all households in the United States reported no internet access, with that figure soaring above 70% for low income households. Yes, cheap, ubiquitous access is probably inevitable, but it has not yet arrived for vast numbers of our poorest children. That’s one of the reasons it is so important that we have active, vibrant use of these tools in schools.
2. Don’t confuse access to the tools with meaningful use. Mere participation in cultural production does not imply anything about the nature of the participation. It’s too broad of a brush stroke. That’s why our work as educators with students is so important and critical. These tools have enormous potential, and we need to have conversations with kids in schools about the power for change that they hold in their hands.
Rob
Will, I sat down over the holidays and really thought about life and what I wanted to do with mine in 2007. I agree with you about the state of things, but I couldn’t but find myself concentrating on what I can do this year to help make things better. If we all get hung up on what’s wrong and feel helpless then we may just say “screw it, why should I care when nobody else seems to.”
Sorry, I decided that this year I’m going to be optimistic and believe that not only will what I do make a difference, but that, through my actions, others will follow suit.
Wow, I have been mulling over this slow pace of change for some time now. Kathy Sierra has it right with this image:
http://headrush.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/incremental1_4.jpg
Will, I don’t think you are being pessimistic, but rather realistic in your view? I have been searching for the ‘revolutionary’ magic beans that will magically bud and develop technological roots that take our schools into the next century… but alas, I mostly see fancy varieties of the old un-magical beans being planted (incremental changes). I have said before,
“Incremental changes will not take us where we need to be. Standardized testing, outdated curriculum and unwired classrooms won’t get us there. Teachers using a white Smart Board to simply replace the green chalk board, which replaced the blackboard, won’t get us there.
What profound change is needed? I don’t think one teacher at a time can do it.”
In this coming year, I hope to see innovative teachers and educational leaders ‘jump the wall’ and show us that educational models from the 1800’s are no longer relevant.
Will this happen in 2007? (Do you want my optimistic or realistic answer?)
Lots to think about and digest here. But just a quick comment regarding “But even a 100% gain when you only have 2% of the market doesn’t amount to much.” Yes . . . and no. For example, you recently purchased an Apple laptop, correct? And their market share would be . . .? Yet many folks would argue that Apple has a large influence on the tech industry. And there are many other examples in other industries.
Market share isn’t everything, especially in education, but mind share is. To that end, I think both your blogging and your mainstream writing will be very important. And don’t forget that the 2% you may be speaking to in your blog are all speaking to various percents in their districts/schools/communities – kind of a “pay it forward” of educational change. So, yes, you can reach non-bloggers.
Start at 2%. 100% gain is only 4% in a year. But keep going . . . 8% (end of year 2), 16% (year 3), 32% (year 4), . . . Yes, you probably can’t maintain 100% growth each year, but even with decent growth you (we) will reach a critical mass fairly quickly.
I’ve always been a “glass is half-empty” guy so this will be rather ironic for me. Yes, there are serious problems out there that can be very depressing, but whether you choose to be optimistic or pessimistic doesn’t change the facts, only your attitude. Why not choose to be optimistic?
Will, keep the faith.
While I understand your struggles, ironically, I posted to my own blog today a very optimistic view of 2007. Having been involved in tech at my school for the past 15 years I have “hit the wall” many times. But this new Web 2.0 feels like a different animal…it feels to me like a deep change. Not just substituting one way of teaching with a tech version of the same thing but a real fundamental change in how we view our role as a teacher. We’re all in this rushing river of change right along with our students and to keep our heads above the water we have to work hard. But it is thrilling, exciting, challenging, and most of all it keeps me stimulated. I am both afraid of all the changes and looking forward to struggling through them. I feel I am bringing my students, their parents, and some of my fellow teachers along with me slowly but the more they hear about blogging, wikis, podcasts and the educational possibilities they have…some we probably haven’t even considered yet…the more they are willing to be brave. Learning requires the courage to admit you don’t know something and the willingness to discover answers. This is why I teach. This is why I learn. And this is why, even with all the sadness in our world today, I remain optimistic. Please keep blogging. Your blog is one of the lights in the darkness.
Will, how much of this comes from the lack of enthusiasm you’ve seen of late at the places you’ve been? I really wouldn’t cut down the number of posts you make on your blog, I’d just re-focus.
As far as I see it, what got you to the stage of being able to quit your job and evangelise to the masses was by being the (co-?)leader of a movement. Are you now abdicating? I hope not.
Will, keep writing somewhere! Your message is valuable and yes I still pay it forward to others who may not read your blog.
I am with Janet and her optimism, we have moved along with the first wave and I feel like the next wave is coming along and I will be here to support them as they come along.
I am excited to imagine the possibilities of what is next in the world of 21st Century Learning. Here is why I am excited. Here is a post from a 4th grader at my school to her blog at Think.com
“Hi, I met a great friend on think.com and she is from India, and my mom said one person could change the World and make World peace. and maybe you could ask Mr.Sprankle if other kids Who are able to use think.com if they were interested they could meet a friend on think.com from another country ”
This is why I do what I do! Over and out!
Will,
While I tend to agree that change comes very slowly in education, I do have some sense in my own corner of the world that as Janet said above,that web 2.0 feels like a different animal altogether.
One of the reasons it feels different to me is that these tools are allowing educators to step out behind the walls of our classrooms and communicate across our own districts, across the country, and across the world. Teachers can sometimes be their own best resources, and yet we so seldom have the opportunity to share with one another all the good things that we do.
Your blog and others like it have inspired me to share more with my own staff, as Karl points out…so I think all our blogging efforts do reach beyond the blogs, as teachers share with other teachers who share with other teachers by word of mouth. Because really, isn’t that what blogging is….like the largest, most extended coffee klatch in the world?
I also think one of the transformational things about “web 2.0” is that we aren’t bound any longer by our school district funds. These tools are online, they’re free….our students either at home or at school or at the library can have access to them, and we can readily adopt new tools or change tools without significant investments of cash, so it gives us a much wider range of options for innovation.
I agree that the sharing has to go on outside the community of bloggers, definitely, and I know your efforts there will be significant and greatly helpful.
A business person on our campus Vision committee recommended a book to us–the Innovator’s Dilemma, which I am eager to read, as I gather it addresses some of the issues when we are trying to implement innovations into an existing system.
Change is challenging and slow…but it does take leaders calling us to see their vision….
Your always thoughtful commentary goes a long way towards helping all of us consider the larger picture.
Doug–Whoa! Leader of a movement!?! No…more like one voice in a very large conversation that on its fringes deals with education. I appreciate the reach my blog has, and I’m not saying that I’m not going to continue to try to have an effect with it. But I just feel like the conversation has to grow, that the time is ripe for it to grow, and that that growth can happen more quickly by looking at ways of expanding the audience. Writing a provocative feature article for a national magazine or newspaper would get us all much farther down that road than time spent blogging. (And by the way, I’m not saying I’m the only one who could do that.)
Karl–Thanks for the support. In reality, I’m not all that pessimistic in the long term. I just worry that we’re getting fat and happy with the fact that so many more people are joining in. But can you (or anyone) put together a list of 100 examples of K-12 students using these tools in classrooms in ways that teach them to be self-sufficient learners? 50 even? I would be hard pressed to. There are really, really good examples out there that prove it can be done and that we need to move our thinking. Now we need lots of really, really good examples. And I don’t think we’re seeing them because by and large teachers are not becoming self-sufficient learners first with the tools. (Which is why your work is so important.) Thousands are using blogs…how many are blogging, creating networks, being transformed by all of this? It’s, as Terry Elliot says, old wine in new bottles for the most part.
Heather, Janet–Thanks for the comments. There is no reason for you not to be optimistic. And your work will absolutely have an effect. And I’m not anywhere close to saying “screw it”…this is worth the effort. And if I were still in the classroom, this would all be a lot easier for me to figure out! But my role in this is (obviously) much more complicated now, by my own choice and good fortune.
Will, I had a similar conversation with my boss today. I would love to buy every administrator, teacher, and school board member a copy of Time magazine’s Person of the Year edition. It is a must read! Somehow we need to find the time and the expertise to teach our students how to live and work in the world that currently exists. When the YouTube videos of the war in Iraq are sometimes more accurate than the nightly news… it makes me pause. My entire district is struggling to meet their AYP goals for NCLB. And this is critical on many levels. But, when all is said and done, will it help students be better prepared for all of the arenas in which they will live and work? How do we, as teachers/administrators, move back into a leadership position. In my opinion, educators need to assume somewhat of a “parenting role”. We need to know where our children “should” go, help them see a clear path and teach them the steps to get there. But right now, our students are the front runners. They are dragging us along, if we are even willing to come. My challenge for 2007 is to help my district not lose sight of the NCLB goal to ensure that every student graduate 8th grade being information technology literate and that students continue to build on these skills throughout high school. Don’t lose hope. We are hoping to have you as a guest speaker for our distict next year!
Will,
Thank you for your interesting thoughts. I am a student teacher, and new to blogging. After having done it a couple of times now, I am getting more use out of it, as well as beginning to see more and more how it can fit into the classroom and the education world. As much as I would like to believe that we can get more schools involved with online communities, I believe that it will be a slow changing process.
I believe that as much of an emphasis as there needs to be on literacy across the board at schools, there also needs to be an emphasis on technology. In a world that is becoming so technologically integrated, it seems as if we are doing a disservice to our students if we do not incorporate technology into our lessons. As much as we would hope for our students to follow in our footsteps, and become filled with passion for the subject that we have the passion for , it is in the best interest for the students to learn in ways that they will succeed.
In order for the changes to occur, I would assume that there needs to be more written work that is not published only through the internet. Those of us that do look at the internet are the more computer saavy educators; those that are not up to par on the technology available to them in the education world need the hard copies to get them onto the internet. Good luck with your journey through 2007!
Web 2.0 seems to be a very powerful tool. As I am new to it (no I do not have a blog, but because I don’t feel like I have much to say), as an educator, I am looking for how to integrate this into the curriculum and find no good answers just people (bloggers) saying how great the potential is.
Wikipedia-type sites seem to have the largest potential (for me) to be useful. I am looking for my students to create an on-line study guide for the Advanced Placement World History Exam. But, like most, I am running into the wall of access and time.
Many students (10th-12th graders) come equipped to take on a task such as this but many do not have the skills to publish on-line. I know how crazy that sounds given that it’s just a word processor on the web, but it’s true and do I have the time to teach basic html or struggle with people whom do not know how to sign up for an account at Google?
This is a completely new facet to the potential of education and it is just starting to be used in the classroom and studies by the Ph.d’s, therefore the knowledge of how to use this technology effectively is so scarce I sometimes recoil about introducing it.
On the positive side Admin. loves when even attempt to use it.
Finally, I would love to see a consortium of teachers from around the world create a “Guide Book” on how to teach using Web 2.0 including examples that may have qualitative or quantitative data about the effectiveness of the lessons. This would be the bomb.
Will,
As I read through the comments to your post, I recognized that there are many teachers who are very interested in using these tools but, due to time or other constraints, are looking for definitive examples of these tools being used in “appropriate” ways for learning. Your post also reflect that sentiment as you
but the numbers of examples of students on the K-12 level whose learning is being transformed by these technologies is amazingly small, at least to me. I mean really, where are the examples of students blogging…and I mean blogging, not just using blogs…and building global networks of learners? There are some, yes, but not enough to make the case that these tools can work in the current school environment. As someone who a few short months ago was somewhat critical of what all these changes might mean and who would throw up several road blocks to using these tools, I am now convinced, more than ever, that these tools will change the landscape of education. My goal for 2007 is to bring my school, admin group and anyone else who wants to join into this new landscape. Like Atrus, the D’ni main character from Myst, we are looking at linking into a new world. We may have been the creators, via the technology, but now we must be ready to enter it where it is which may make us uncomfortable but we must go. As the momentum builds, so will the number of students doing authentic work using these tools. It may seem like things are moving slowly but, for educators like me who are just beginning, the pace is breathtaking, the scenery, fascinating and the companionship, beyond previous experience. As we struggle to fit and mold these tools to meet curriculum requirements, we see the potentional. Will, your lead is just beginning to pay off. There are many newbies whom will be looking for advice, insight and direction. Your blogroll was an invaluable resource for me back when I began two months ago. I allowed me to seek out and find places for answers to questions I had. I gave me resources to read, ideas to ponder and background that was necessary for me to overcome my resistance and boldly move ahead. I am excited about the possibilities for 2007 and, in large part to your continued persistence and insights, I am able to begin to bridge the gap between the world we are currently in and world we want to write – to steal an image from Myst. I am confident that we will see changes unlike any of those that have come before. We will need someone, like yourself, to continue to press us to move forward so that we don’t get fat and complacent. I don’t always agree with your take on things but I trust your view of the landscape and what is coming because you are out in front and we need that to continue our trek.
Kelly
You’re right, of course (not that there was any doubt) about the lack of good examples of student uses of these tools at this point in time. But we do have quite a few folks who are making tremendous progress on that front with students(Clarence, Darren, Bud, Jeff Utecht, Anne Davis – just to name a few that I know of). And I’m just as impatient as everyone else (my staff would say more so), but I do think we need to give this a little time to develop. As I think Alan November says, it took 30 years for the overhead projector to move from the bowling alley to the classroom. Put in that perspective, we’re actually moving incredibly fast. I think it’s fairly natural to start with old wine in new bottles. But once the kids really see – and the teachers have time to get comfortable with – the new bottles, there will be no way to put the cork back in.
Give me 24 to 36 months and I believe I’ll have some really good examples for you from my school(maybe less if I can find a way to bring you to my district for some staff development!) – and there will be many other examples before and after that from others. I’ve also blogged about Kathy Sierra’s “you can’t cross a 20-foot chasm in two 10-foot jumps,” but maybe we do need to build up those leg muscles before we make the leap. Let’s plan to get together at, say, NECC 2009, and you can write a follow-up to this post.
In regards to you being a leader, I know that’s a touchy subject (witness the mini-controversary over the K12 Online Conference). But I’m not sure you have a choice, as the “wisdom of the crowds” has selected you. I think it’s similar to Charles Barkley and other professional athletes claiming a few years ago that they never wanted to be a role model – it comes with the territory. You are the “round mound of the educational read/write web.” I can see the t-shirts now . . .
Will – Very interesting, though I have a different outlook of 2006. This is probably because I was only introduced to these educational ideas this past July. 2006 has been a water shed year for me personally. However, what I have witnessed in the district I teach, is the school-wide movement by the staff and administration within our high school, to investigate and begin to learn these technologies. Nor do I see adoption of these educational ideas as simply exponential, I believe it will be much larger. Example: I myself was exposed in July, by November, my exposure translated into 18 other educators within our building embracing these technologies. With appropriate staff development already in place in January 2007, our entire staff will have been exposed to this technology by the end of the month. It is anticipated that by June, 65% to 75% of the high school staff will have begun to implement these tools within their classrooms. That translates into 60 staff members utilizing these tools within the first year, all from one individual being exposed to these ideas. That is powerful, and that is a direct result of you. I have confidence that the school year 2007 – 2008 will be a tremendously revolutionary year in the district, that will see these ideas transcend to the other levels (Middle School, Intermediate, and Elementary levels). Although this may still be classified as a grass roots level movement, I believe that we will be on the door step of truly changing the classroom for our learners.
Regarding the classroom examples, I believe that will also come in time, as more of the teachers begin to embrace and understand the potential. Once this occurs, educators will realize that the only way to effectively use these technologies is to re-engineer their individual role as a self-directed learner.
What I do agree with most, is the need to move the discussion into the traditional media. There needs to be a concerted and organized effort to carry this message to traditional print and digital media. Being that these forms of media are most comfortable sources of information in America, we can use this platform to draw attention to the cause.
Furthermore, we may want to look beyond the singular use of blogs or wikis to construct truly independent, self-direct, collaborative learners. The research tools available in the form of extensions, along with online tools of collaboration (skype, vyew, etc.)coupled with read/write technologies, will take both teachers and students to a much more dynamic educational experience.
Will, I have previously expressed the tremendous impact you have had on me as a classroom educator, let me leave you with this simple advice, stay the course, it will happen. Oh by the way, I agree with Karl, sometimes life presents each of us with opportunities whether we are ready for them or not. My captain, my captain. Stay the course, have no fear, who knows, you may be looked upon in the future as one of education’s Copernicus.
About 2 years ago I began reading your blog. A little over a year ago I convinced our IT guy to load Moodle to a school server. I’ve attended several of your presentations over the past year. Last summer I wrote a Moodle online class based totally on your book and tonight was opening night for my, Virtual Tools on the Web and in Your Pocket class. 18 teachers from 6 districts are taking this class. They touch maybe 80 kids each, that’s over 1000 kids. It feels like baby steps, but my heart is racing and I am so grateful to have you as MY teacher. Thank you for setting up the task.
Will-
I am not going to have a well thought out comment here but just as Sue has implicated… there is change.
I attended a NYSCATE small conference that you keynoted, then I attended your workshop. I have been blogging for less than a year but I am offering a Web 2.0 class soon for teachers.
There are changes, but who are we to say they are too slow? Give time, time.
Also, because of the shift in my own learning my students have become my greatest teachers! (high schoolers) They love that I am interested in their web 2.0 culture and any time there is a new development or a site they think would help educate me they run to tell me.
“I mean really, where are the examples of students blogging…and I mean blogging, not just using blogs…and building global networks of learners?”
Arthus is an interesting blogger, who just happens to be in high school: http://myfla.ws/
Here’s a post on schooling:
http://myfla.ws/blog/2006/12/14/the-lesson-plan/
The network will come over time.
As a teacher fairly new to the world of blogging I agree change is slow but it will happen.