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If you go to a situation where the computers are one-to-one, where every child has a computer, be it a cell phone computer or a mini laptop computer, then all the learning activities, all the learning resources are on that device. It becomes the conduit then for the curriculum and for the artifacts the student creates. In some sense it does replace or certainly augments the paper and pencil materials. As Cathie pointed out earlier, the problem was that the computer was used as an add on. The major part of the lesson was still done on paper and there might be one activity that you did on the computer but that activity wasn't integrated with the rest of the pieces of paper. The computer wasn't playing an integral role to the lesson. But with one to one, it becomes possible for the computer to play an integral role. CN: Which is the way it is in business. Most business people do the majority of their work on their computer. Pencil and paper tends to be an aside or an add on for notes. When we start talking about teaching children 21st Century Skills, teaching them how to use the computer for the bulk of what they do is certainly a 21st Century Skill. ST: Certainly, so long as it's not just teaching the technical means to do a PowerPoint presentation or write a paper. It's about the critical thinking that goes on.

The teachers who are out of control when students have handhelds are the same teachers who are out of control when the students have pencils and paper. I was a classroom teacher for 15 years and back then the threat was that computers were going to come in and replace all teachers. All of the good teachers felt that any teacher who could be replaced by a computer should be. There is always room for and a place for good teachers. In this case the role of the teacher is different. It's not necessarily a role of handing out the information. You don't open up students' heads and dump in the information. Rather, teachers provide direction and contextualize things for students as they do their lessons. Students are not sitting there like little birds waiting to be fed. To create autonomous learners you must contextualize things for students as they find them or as they run into difficulties trying to fit pieces together because you've structured the lesson for them. ST: You're singing my song. One of the things we often say at our organization is that a child is not a vessel to be filled, but a flame to be kindled. What you're speaking to is how do you create that spark and engage that 21st Century Learner.

Well that's true. One of the things that I worry about with Smart Boards is people are just porting all of their book based content into static PDFs to be displayed on Smart Boards. There's nothing engaging there about that solution. CN: Right. Children are simply watching something bigger. We were in Mexico and we saw that Mexico had adopted the Smart Boards in all the classrooms. At one meeting we attended, they demonstrated how they were going to be using the Smart Boards in the classroom. A teacher had a book opened, displayed on the Smart Board, going through the lessons with the book on the Smart Board. It was just a bigger book, the children are still being passive learners. They simply watched her as opposed to engaging with a technology that fits them, moving up and around, it's a completely different learning environment. ES: This was a very powerful learning experience for both of us. Here is a country trying to move into the 21st century. They were going to equip their classrooms with all these expensive, electronic whiteboards. All they were doing was the same thing that they had done with books in the past and that wasn't particularly interesting to the kids. Displaying the book a little bigger is not going have any impact whatsoever.

Thank you so much for sharing the video. You offer excellent food for thought. There are also great comments. I think we have to be careful not to assume that so called "digital natives" know how to use technology, especially to learn. Most of my students are very good with a cell phone. However, I actually had to teach them the skills needed for this project. BUT, they did learn very quickly. I just broke down the components and addressed each one as a separate lesson (e.g. power searching, blogging, RSS, setting up Reader, etc.) Management was no different than it would be for any complex class project. Milestones were developed, rubrics provided for the students, and high expectations were set. Planning is important, but flexibility is more important for when things don't go as planned. Isn't that the reality of most aspects of life?Regarding younger students, I believe we have to create networked learning opportunities that are age appropriate. I teach high school now, but I used to teach third grade. In order to provide a foundation for networked learning, the students need solid digital literacy skills. I believe digital literacy (online reading, writing, analyzing resources) should be the focus in the lower grades with many opportunities to network with other classrooms around the world.From the teachers perspective, there is some work required to organize the lessons related to building the PLN. But, that's because no one was doing that in the earlier grades. Imagine the powerful learning that could take place if students came to us equipped with these skills. I know teachers are worried about extra work. I am, too. But, shouldn't the kids be the ones doing the work instead of the all-knowing fountain of knowledge at the front of the room? We truly become learning guides when we change our mindset and put the bulk of learning responsibility where it belongs...on the learner.

Mill Creek Middle School

Smartboard LCD projectors Color & B/W printers. Document camera Each room has a wireless hub. All students have e-mail.

6 middle schools