D&B09 - Will Richardson (redigert)

The tools of the read/write web in Schools - Will Richardson
(blogger på engelsk)

How do we make sense of the students' digital competence.
Shows video "help with bowdrill set"
Next 24 hours: enormous amount of videos - will anybody help him?
The boy is smart - asks for help, remains unidentifiable.
10 helpful responses (look in on the early responses) - bizarre names, useful tips.
Lesson: everybody has access to knowledge
Here comes everybody (Clay Shirky): the ability to connect: "techtonic shift": more important than Gutenberg. "Gutenberg on steroids".
All the tools are simple. Anybody can participate.
In spite of all the junk on the web, it's still valuable.
People come together - including schools.
The school structure is bound to change: children push the culture boundaries.

New discussions because of the new technologies.
New connections -> passion-driven learning.
What changes with 24hour access? How do we deal with it?
In schools: we disallow new tools - mobile phones, etc.
Reason: teachers and curriculi limit - not ready for it?
We have to see opportunities, not obstacles, threats.
The web opens for global conversations.
WR objects to schools preparing kids for yeasterday or today, not for the future. Convinced that the world will change fundamentally.

Information is accessible in a new way: newspapers are dying, old media has not been sufficiently open for change -> don't survive.
Shows surfthechannel.com: they argue they don't break the law because they only provide a service and because they are in Sweden.
Shows United breaks guitars - UA gets in trouble because of mishandling luggage - through a video posted on youtube - new way of complaining...

Schools have to understand these changes: learning and knoweledge is something else.
Children are already using these tools - hopefully not like this: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/07/2678945.htm

Children use tools interest-drive: http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.4773437/
Teachers/schools must help kids make the connections.
Kids are hyperconnected, hypertransparent.
We must help them connect, make the right chioces.
Shows his blog: http://weblogg-ed.com/2009/dont-dont-dont-vs-do-do-do/ Comments that he disapproves of negative rules.
Expresses his amazement at peoples willingness to comment and interact.
Shows a map of where people come from to visit his blog. All over the world.
Wants kids to learn with people in this way - connected.

Networks:
Shows image of his network - he's one step away from a huge network of knowledge. But only if he connects to it and interacts. Learning takes place on FaceBook, DelIciOus etc. Everywhere.
What is a network in learning? The network strengthens the node: not social networks, learning networks.
We must show them ethics, safety, methods. The remix culture provides new challenges.

Shows fanficton.net
Creates a lot of writing, a lot of creativity. Users can write new books7episodes of their favourite boooks/shows etc. Other users review, comment, criticize. Imagine how engaging it is to write for an audience. This does not happen in schools... Why?

Shows MySpace page - nightmare version: private images from a girl who is not conscious of potential effects.
We must help kids with reputation managament...
Still: What's worse: too much information or no information? Will it be bad if nothing turns up when you're googled? WR humoristically comments that youths today may be granted a grace period since no-one really knows what to do with the web now.

Shows NCTE website.
Reevaluate what children should learn. Synthesize/edit/develop proficiency/build relationships online/design and share information/manage, analyze multiple streams of information/ create, critique, analyze multimedia texts. New literacy. We must do what books/authors have done for us.

Shows how Diigo works (WR's profile). Makes online discussion of texts online: annotations, comments, links.

Shows http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090128092341.htm
Ridicules standardized testing - why can't children use e.g. their phone to answer?
Argues the cellphones are going to be central in children's learning - do we teach how to use them?

MIT offers online courses in anything - how will that affect learning? Everything is available online: videotutorials, tests, readings etc. Shouldn't we teach students how to access all the available knowledge, become independent learners. Students hawe little power over their own learning.

Information is not static anymore - why do children carry heavy (outdated) textbooks around - wikipedia is always updated. Do we teach wikipedia?

Social construction of truth.
Long tail relationship users/contributors on Wikipedia. 6 mins = 600 changes... Ongoing, updated...
What about errors? Shows example of errata list in the textbook. Many but uneditable. Online it can be edited. We can make our own textbooks with the students.

Internet connection = possibility
Example: scratch. Found someone who could teach is children how via skype. The children learned that knowledge is "out there"...

We must do something about the paper. Less effective than online texts - inflexible.
Plays a 1stgrader podcast #24: http://millard.esu3.org/willow/radio/shows/Willowcast24.html
What do children learn from this? geography (ip-adresses), maths (no of downloads), science (about ants) etc. Better than writing a paper? Paper is not going to be the dominant medium in the future.

2009 horizon report.

The world changes:
Many "Yes, BUT":
- school/system
- technology
- time
- must pass existing tests
Understandable objections, but the changes happen anyway.

Extraordinary to be a teacher/learner today. Challenge: forget the obstacles, the buts and engage in the changes anyway. Show your student how to learn in the new way. Seize the moment - it''s an amazing place to be.
(applause)