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.

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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…

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