What Would You Have Them Say?
Vision of K12 Students Today, produced by B.J. Nesbitt
I (belatedly) found this interesting and quite well done DIY video by B Nesbitt, via Stephen Downes’ Web News yesterday. It’s a K-12 take on Michael Wesch’s Vision of Students Today, called A Vision of K-12 Students Today. The only fault that I have with this powerful production is that it, perhaps, carries to much from previous works like Vision.., Karl Fisch’s Did You Know, and the subsequent Shift Happens.
What I’m curious about is what would you add?
- If you were one of those students, what would you write on a card and show the education world?
- As a teacher, what would you have them write?
Here’s what came to mind for me, as I was NOT sleeping at 3:45 this morning.
Mixed in Message from 21st Century Student
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Tags: warlick, education, technology, elearning, future
The What Would You Have Them Say? by 2¢ Worth, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
David, if I was one of the students perhaps I may write… ‘teach me to live’ … ‘I want to learn how to learn’. If I was a student.
As a teacher, I would ask them to write… ‘teach me to teach’.
When students have an opportunity to teach, particularly something that captures their interest and passion, they draw upon energies and a drive to share the knowledge, skill and/or attitude. It can be infectious and rewarding for the rest of the group. Technology affords opportunities for this to happen on a local and global stage.
Cheers, John
Reply to John LarkinPutting on my teacher hat, I’d love the cards from those students to say something like, “Technology is my future. Fund technology in the classroom.”
If I was a student, I think that my card would say “You gotta reach me to teach me. Remember, I have a lot of things going on. Make what you are saying the most important thing that is on my mind.”
Reply to Doug SpicherI think the kids would say stop testing me…or constantly prepping me for tests. Engage me in the tasks that I will need to know to keep my jobs.
And the teachers would applaud…
Reply to Laura NewcomerHi - As a teacher I’d like to see more about being good thinkers. The tech tools are part of how we can motivate students to think, to collaborate, and to share with one another. Good instructional design builds on the success of the tools and encourages students to understand connections, extrapolate beyond given data, synthesize, etc.
Reply to KristinI’d have them say whatever they wanted. Isn’t that the point?
While watching the video, I couldn’t help but think that those young faces were being exploited to hold signs with messages that were not their own.
Kids don’t “talk” like that.
I’d let them write their opinions and thoughts in their own words.
If I was going to use my words, I’d set it up like my own videos have been or Karl Fisch.
My 2 cents worth!
Thanks
Barry
Reply to BarryDave,
Mine would probably say something like “I need ownership of my education.”
Most students won’t jump on board with a project (digitally inclined or otherwise) unless they feel it’s important to their own lives.
Perhaps “I need to connect” is better.
Thanks for the link to the video. A colleague and I recently gave a presentation on blogging to the faculty, and we showed both “Shift Happens” and “A Vision of Students Today”. Perhaps we could have cut down the video time by showing just this one video.
- Heather
Reply to Heather FFrankly, I’m tired of seeing these kids tell me what their 21st century teachers think they should be telling me. Barry is certainly right - ‘kids don’t “talk” like that’.
Reply to JayHowever, having been invited to volunteer what I’d like to see on one of those placards, I can’t really refuse. I don’t know if these responses can contain graphics, so I’ll only place here a link.
The graphic is toward the bottom of the post. The Hebrew version is followed by one in English.
I apologize - no HTML either. So the link is:
Reply to Jayhttp://interlearn.blogspot.com/2008/03/blog-post_24.html
How about:
Reply to Jeannine“I hold all the knowledge of the world in my pocket, but I don’t know how to use it”.
It’s a fair point, Barry. But it seems to me that message of education in a dramatically different world needs to come from both of us, the children, who see and work their world differently, and we, who are paying attention and can reshape our notions about education to match it. I have not doubts that the signs held up by Michael Wesch’s students were composed as a result of conversations and surveys, at least coordinated by Dr. Wesch.
But you are right. The best and most powerful message would come from thoughtful and articulate children.
Reply to DaveI am with Doug Spicher.
As a teacher I would like to have the same saying on those signs “fund ICT”. “Help teachers help me: promote teacher ICT mentoring”
As a student I would say: Make my learning exciting. Connect to me…with or without technology.
All of this takes passion, effort and hard work, and an entire community to engage…from the head teacher to the parents and everyone around them.
Reply to Cristina CostaDavid,
I feel the same way about this video as I did when the blogosphere first got excited about Dr. Wesch’s original.
Read my thoughts and those who disagree with me here:
http://www.stager.org/blog/2007/11/are-we-impressed-because-college.html
Reply to Gary StagerI agree with Barry. It is exploitative propaganda.
Who is the enemy this video is fighting?
First of all, the ethnocentric scare-mongering is unnecessary in arguing that education needs to improve. You make schools better because you love kids, not because of a foreign menace.
The notion that education is primarily vocational in nature is unfortunate and wrong-headed.
There is not one example of how teacher practice might be different except for the expressed reverence for blogs, wikis and podcasts - all informational uses of the technology. What might happen in math, science, the arts?
Where are the trombones, pottery wheels, theaters, microscopes, books (oh yeah, those are so 20th century), kickballs, tadpoles, blocks, field trips, hammers, etc…?
Lip-service is paid to “creation” when not one example of what kids might create or why are offered.
What sort of structural changes is the auteur suggesting? What has he done to improve the learning environment besides use kids in this iMovie-based kabuki theatre?
Teachers should be insulted, not inspired by the video.
OBSERVATIONS ARE NOT INSIGHT (even when presented via YouTube)!
Reply to Gary StagerGary, Thanks for this and your previous post and link. I have to say that the points that you and Barry make are valid, though I’m not sure I’d call them exploitive or propaganda, though from a certain perspective, it’s accurate. For that matter, all teaching is exploitive, and textbooks are propaganda.
Anyway, I thought I toss out a few responses to your comments, understand that I’m speaking as a viewer and sharer of this video, not its producer.
I agree with Barry. It is exploitative propaganda.
Who is the enemy this video is fighting?
First of all, the ethnocentric scare-mongering is unnecessary in arguing that education needs to improve. You make schools better because you love kids, not because of a foreign menace.
The notion that education is primarily vocational in nature is unfortunate and wrong-headed.
There is not one example of how teacher practice might be different except for the expressed reverence for blogs, wikis and podcasts - all informational uses of the technology. What might happen in math, science, the arts?
Where are the trombones, pottery wheels, theaters, microscopes, books (oh yeah, those are so 20th century), kickballs, tadpoles, blocks, field trips, hammers, etc…?
Lip-service is paid to “creation” when not one example of what kids might create or why are offered.
What sort of structural changes is the auteur suggesting? What has he done to improve the learning environment besides use kids in this iMovie-based kabuki theatre?
Teachers should be insulted, not inspired by the video.
OBSERVATIONS ARE NOT INSIGHT (even when presented via YouTube)!
Reply to DaveWe use this video at our company, Giant Campus, to remind us each year of the challenges we face in working toward our mission — to equip this next generation with the knowledge, skills, and abilities they need to be successful in a global community. We strongly believe that teaching and developing 21st century skills is the path to achieving that vision.
And the funny thing is that it’s not corporate America that is a barrier to a future of empowered youth. Rather, it’s an educational system that is steeped in bureaucratic red tape. Corporations all over are begging for youth to graduate with critical thinking skills, the ability to solve problems, work in teams, and communicate. But while we argue the merits of this idea or that, we continue to churn out kids who can’t even write a complete sentence.
What is the catalyst that will incite the needed change?
Reply to David KinardThe video is very thought provoking. There are many teachers in the schools (me included) that want to further incorporate educational technology into our programs. However, there are so many hurdles in the way – limited funding, availability of technology, Internet filters, etc. It seems as though we are stuck in neutral! There also seems to be a tug-of-war going on between schools and parents. For example, so many parents are “afraid” of the Internet these days that it is becoming increasingly difficult to utilize it in the classroom. As a teacher, I am frustrated! I know that many of my students are frustrated as well.
Reply to Bill FranseeDear David,
Reply to entuliThe video is interesting. After watching the video I posed and thought about how much today’s teachers need to know in terms of using technology in their pedagogy. I thought about how teachers are failing to reach students or engage them because they are not using the right methods/tools to have the students’ full attention. If I were one of those students I would write: Learning should be funny; I need learning to be more of a game. What I am afraid of is the over emphasis of technology in the learning of children. Technology alone does not make a difference, teachers should have other qualities apart from the knowledge and skills in technology to make learning effective. I think this over emphasis will force teachers to use technology where it is not necessary