Thing 3: Native...or Not?

Today, in a meeting of one of my PLN's, my 21 CLC team at my school, we spent some time reviewing several blog posts on our "21 Things" site. One in particular, a post by Chris Betcher "The Myth of the Digital Native," especially caught my attention.


I appreciate this insight for two reasons:

1. Thematically, my juniors are continuing a unit entitled A Pioneer Never Quits, in which we will spend a couple of days reading several Native American myths and reviewing a piece of Native American art (via Voice Thread), and, yes, native is one of our vocabulary terms. This is an excellent time, in my 1:1 classroom, to further discuss their roles as digital natives. I suspect, at this point, my students are quickly learning that the more they know about Web 2.0, the more they need to learn! That is where I am! The question is, then, will any of us ever be natives since the digital world is ever-changing. Can we keep up with this change?


2. I agree that our digital natives are NOT nearly as adept as we assume they might be. I have noticed that several are very stressed when asked to work with more than one tab/site. Many of them are, again, like myself. I learn the tools as I need them...you know, on a need-to-know basis. They are adept at Facebook, text-messaging, Googling topics on which they want to learn more. They are comfortable with those, yet when faced with a new tool, many become frustrated, for they have left their comfort zones.

This week's assignment actually asked me, upon reviewing above mentioned linked blog posts, to ponder on the following questions:

• What do you notice about the genre of blog writing in general?
  Insightful, in a journalist style, blogs allow me to "lurk" or to be an active participant...all the while learning...and then learning some more.


• How is blog reading different from other types of reading? How is it similar?
  This genre is all written in the first-person point of view, providing an open window into the minds of those interested in the same topics about which I want to learn more.


• How is blog writing different from other types of writing? How is it similar?
  A blogger is essentially an editorialist; the majority give opinions hyperlinked with the best of the best resources to validate their thoughts and opinions. Should we be careful of hyperlinks? That's right a hyperlink does not necessarily validate an entry!


• How does commenting contribute to the writing and meaning-making?
  Commenting allows ownership, a concept so important to many of us. Commenting also encourages social responsibility and increases one's digital outreach. All of a sudden, our world is not nearly so large!


• How can blogging facilitate learning?
  Blogging validates learning through the reflection this tool encourages. Blogging has been one of my best personal professional development "classes." Through this process, I am learning, even more, what I value, what I respect, and what I expect from myself and from others, as well.

This completes Thing 3...on to the next challenge!

Thing 2: My Web 2.0 Outlook

Lisa Huff's introducing me to more of Web 2.0 has revolutionized my teaching. With her assistance, I created my first blog in April 2008, and I now maintain over ten blogs, several wikis, and over three pages of logins/passwords to many Web 2.0 tools (had to put them on paper...little ironic, maybe?...to be able to remember them!)

From those three pages of accounts, I have learned one important lesson: one cannot "master" all of them. Last year, I chose to utilize blogs and wikis; this year, I am adding three, maybe five, more. Yes, therein lies my advice to you: select those tools that work for you and dedicate yourself to really using your selected honorees.

Daily, these tools go with me into the classroom, often becoming the teacher, at the very least, resulting in a motivating factor for many of my students. As we concluded in Pre-AP English 10 this week, life would be very difficult if one were to loose one's mini-laptop privilege, for we are so dependent upon them for every facet of class. Great to able to play (Habit 7 1/2 was my favorite!) in class every day.

If a downfall exists to this situation, time is it, for I have to be more prepared for class than ever. At this point, "winging" it is a near impossibility, for I must complete my work outside of class or too much time is wasted (and having now spent this day in a workshop for the End-of-Level 11th Grade Reading Stat Review, I am even more convinced that we have no time to waste to prepare our students to achieve that still attainable goal of "proficiency.")

Why do I want to use digital tools to engage our digital learners? The answer is simple: to prepare them for their futures, whether that future is scoring proficient on the EOL Literacy Exam, making money by scoring high on the ACT, or preparing them for life after BHS (college or work...or should I say outsourcing?). To not do all that we can do to prepare these momma and daddy's babies for their futures is to set them up for failure. Thus, if I cannot make that commitment, then, I need to get out of education. Yesterday.

Just glad I have tomorrow. Better get busy planning, for tomorrow our information data base will have grown, and my babies need to know how to access that new data.