Will Richardson

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Great Day in Kennesaw

June 7, 2006 By Will Richardson

So here is the not so subtle change that’s happening when teachers learn about the Read/Write Web and the tools that they can bring into their classrooms. As little as six months ago, there was a sense of “yeah, but” resignation in terms of not being able to really implement these tools in effective ways because of blocking/filtering, lack of support, lack of understanding, etc. But yesterday in Kennesaw, despite the many “challenges” that the 25 or so teachers in the room acknowledged were staring them in the face, there was anything but resignation. Instead, they were e-mailing their superintendents asking them to unblock sites that they have no access to, asking how to save locally or to usb drives or to Furl all of the sites that are being blocked so they could share them with their kids anyway, or trying to figure out the best ways to start using the tools despite the roadblocks. It was pretty cool to be a part of.

Two highlights: Anne Davis, who today gets to undo the damage I did yesterday, showed up just after lunch and we got a few minutes to catch up and compare notes. I know the group is going to be totally blown away by what Anne shows them in terms of classroom use, and I wish I could be there to sit in. It was great to see her again. Second, we had about a 15-minute Skype conversation with George Seimens who happened to be “stuck” in a café in Innsbruck, Austria nestled between two giant alps which, horrors of all horrors, was playing havoc with his connection. The call was crystal clear regardless, and really drove home the point of how our classrooms can extend all over the world. And it was just a lot of fun to boot.

Filed Under: Classroom Practice, Read/Write Web

Comments

  1. Theresa Robins says

    June 7, 2006 at 1:11 pm

    Thank you for sharing all you have learned about Blogging with us. My mind was on overload yesterday and I had to go home and tell two of my favorite teachers about you and what I learned. I hope you had a safe flight home. I truly truly appreciate you and your time.

  2. Dave LaMorte says

    June 7, 2006 at 5:33 pm

    It think a lot of the values of the Read/Write Web were already inline with the core values of teachers. I think teachers are starting to embrace these ideas now because they have a better understanding.

  3. Jerrie Cheek says

    June 7, 2006 at 10:16 pm

    Will,

    Thanks, thanks, and thanks…..The day was awesome….It was a little overwhelming for the 25 teachers but they loved it and they are eagerly looking forward to implementing this “blog thingy” into their curriculum during the 2006-2007 school year. We talked with Darren K. today with Skype….It is truly a global world!!! The world just keeps getting “flatter.”

    I look forward to seeing you at NECC next month!

    Anne Davis was awesome today! I even convinced her to do a workshop at GaETC in November!

  4. Shirley Major says

    June 9, 2006 at 3:30 pm

    The blogging class was great, however, right from the start I realized I would have to find websites that my “at-risk” students can get a. involved 2. feedback. When I find an example, I’ll let you know!

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