A great post by Ian Jukes. The writing is certainly on the wall for the "bring in the expert and sit up straight" style of professional development. I've been wondering for years why schools don't pool their collective expertise to create a culture of learning in their schools. Some of the "experts" that are brought in don't even have the practical or even theoretical expertise of residing staff members. This year a visiting professional told me, "When it comes to schools, there are never any prophets in your own backyard." The zeitgeist is certainly suggesting we need a change.
My 11 yo son does this often in Runescape, now that I think about it. I can't begin to explain the skills he has picked up. Everything from mental math to negotiating to networking to understanding the way society functioned in many facets in Medieval Europe...
I'm trying to encourage teachers in my school to accept Diigo annotated stickies and Webslides from students as alternatives to black ink on white paper. What better way of seeing how students digest information and create their own voice than writing on the highlighted bibliography? Any ideas?