I had the opportunity to have dinner this evening with Deneen Frazier Bowen – in town to kick off our district’s opening day PD – and Bryan Facey, our district’s Technology Supervisor. Of course, with the three of us at the table the conversation centered around what we all saw as the challenges and opportunities for learning with the digital generation.

The conversation eventually came around to the digital natives perceptions of copyright and intellectual property. Of course, today’s young people have a very different view of ownership when it comes to digital information, particularly web-based information. At the risk of generalizing, digital natives see anything web-based as “free” – of both cost and ownership. The lines for what is sharable and available for their personal use is far more blurry than our understandings.

Deneen made a couple of interesting points; the role that mashups are playing in blurring the lines between existing and new information and how kids voices are not being heard in the conversations that are redefining these understandings. What we see as cheating they may see as collaboration; and the only way to reach a common understanding on these issues is through conversations that include them.

Now I am not suggesting that we need to reign in the natives and their use of digital media, but I do think it is important that they at least be given an understanding that just because something is easy and free to use, there are still issues of ownership.

Our conversation reminded me of something that David Warlick suggested during his keynote at L&L21C2 a couple of weeks ago. His suggestion – that we highlight ideas of intellectual property by having our kids copyright and label their own digital productions. By having students recognize that they hold ownership to their own works, they will begin to recognize that all digital content has ownership attached – ownership that needs to be respected and acknowledged.

Technorati Tags: frazier bowen warlick education technology copyright whipple

Photo credit: copyright cushion; Originally uploaded by openDemocracy to flickr.com; creative commons licence

While most other jurisdictions, especially in our neighbors to the south, have been back at school for a couple of weeks now, this week marks the first week for most teachers in New Brunswick as we prepare for the return of students next week.

As part of that process, teachers have time to work in their classrooms preparing, but also have opportunities for professional development at both the school and district level. Tomorrow, our district will be hosting our 700 plus teachers in our traditional PD day.

What is not so traditional, however, is the message. Primarily due to the impact of the two Literacy and Learning in the 21st Century Conference’s in March and August – and David Warlick‘s message in particular – there has been a tremendous shift in the focus of this day. For the first time ever, the district opening week PD day will be focused specifically on technology and it’s role in providing new opportunities to shift our ideas of what it means to be a learner in the 21st century.

The keynote should be particularly powerful. Deneen Frazier Bowen is an accomplished actress and educator with a powerful message – “The Natives are Restless” – of how our students are feeling left out of their own future and how traditional views of education don’t serve our youth. Her creative and unique way of delivering the message only adds to the impact.

Afterwards, a number of learning leaders with a bent for technology from our district will lead to a variety of breakout workshops, sharing their knowledge and experiences with the vast majority who are only beginning to recognize the challenges / opportunities and build their own visions.

And lest I lead you to believe that our district is unique, Thursday our neighboring district will be hosting their day, with none other than Alan November, one of the world’s foremost brains on educational technology, keynoting their day.

Shift happens…

Technorati Tags: frazier bowen, alan november, warlick education technology whipple

This mornings newspaper brings yet another story of a school administration trying to steer student behavior through regulation, as yet another local high school moves to ban cell phones and mp3 players completely on school premises.

Now I don’t pretend to have all – or even any – of the answers to the challenges created by the changing face of information within our schools and communities, but simply creating a blanket ban on new information technologies is akin to trying to regulate common sense. It won’t work!

Then comes David Warlick’s enlightened post where he speaks to the increased conversations that are just beginning to take place.

Now they are returning to school, which is almost entirely about limits. We contain them in classrooms. We contain them with schedules. We contain their access to each other — “No talking!” We contain content inside the covers of textbooks and the walls of libraries, and when we give them access to the Internet, it is so highly filtered that even teachers are frustrated by the valuable content and applications that are blocked.

Our youth – and yes, even us in ever increasing numbers – are connected to and through the information. They don’t see the technology as anything special – in fact they don’t see the technology at all! – they are simply using these technologies as a portal to conversations – conversations that lead to learning.

What is the real message that we send our students through these attempts at regulation? What we are telling them is that the very conversations that they hold so dear – their IMs, texting, social networking – are less than important and are inherently negative. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, through these conversations our young people are developing true 21st century information literacy skills, the skills of working, negotiating and producing collaboratively.

We need to stop looking at ways to contain our students, but set them free to explore, to learn. In the end, isn’t this the ultimate goal of education.

Until then, as David says, attempts to contain student behavior by chopping off their invisible digital limbs will fail.  In fact, not only will trying to stop the leaking fail, it’s the wrong approach if we want vibrant, student-centered, 21st century learning communities.

Technorati Tags: warlick education technology classrooms whipple

I must admit that I was kind of worried as I boarded the flight from Toronto to Winnipeg this afternoon.  My laptop battery was getting low – only 25 minutes on the indicator, a 2 ½ hour flight ahead and at least that much work.  I was already late and had some presentations to prepare for my assistant supervisor and myself for the meeting with our umpiring crew tomorrow morning and the coaches and managers of the teams tomorrow afternoon. 

As I sat down I was pleasantly surprised. Not only had the wonderful Air Canada agent in Fredericton placed me in an exit row seat – I had some extra leg and laptop room – but there, on the seat back ahead of me, was an AC plug.  How could I have hit this jackpot!  I had heard that this was on its way but hadn’t been witness to this yet. This Air Canada Airbus A320M was a treat. 

On top of all this…that wonderful agent had one more surprise for me.  As the food cart came around and everyone was digging in their pockets – the attendant informed me that mine had already been take care of…:)

Way to go Air Canada.  

BTW….there was even a USB port.  Can on-board connectivity be that far behind?  Who knows… maybe it’s here!

Technorati tags: air canada,  education, technology, whipple

I don’t seem to be having much luck with flights lately.  After missing three flights and arriving in Atlanta eight hours late for NECC in June, here I sit at Fredericton Airport, again delayed.  This time my flight to Montreal for a connection to Winnipeg is delayed for three hours.

Last time it was mechanical problems, this time weather.  Seems the severe thunderstorms in Montreal this morning caused the flight from Montreal to remain on the ground for a while, backing up the system all around.

However, just like last time, the friendly and efficient agents at Air Canada saved that day.  Quickly assessing the situation and, knowing I was supposed to be in Winnipeg for a 6pm meeting with my umpiring crew, they rerouted me through Toronto for an alternate connection to Winnipeg.

There are two positives out of this…

• this connection will get me in at 7:30 pm (I have sent word that I’ll arrive at the hotel by 8 for the meeting)…by using the power of the connectedness of the airline industry, the AC agent was able to peruse many options to get me there the quickest

• I am stuck in Fredericton, not in Montreal.  You see, our local airport has FREE wifi access, part of the open Fred-e-Zone municipal wireless system.  Much better than having a long layover in a larger airport where wireless isn’t so free.

When will the rest of the world catch up and realize that broadband access in large cities should be viewed as basic infrastructure like streets, sidewalks and streetlights?

Technorati tags: fred-e-zone, fredericton,  education, technology, whipple