I'm spending this weekend at the Connecting Leaders Conference in Richmond. I have enjoyed listening to several speakers so far, two of whom have focused on how to make human connections using technology. What a concept. Sometimes we think of technology as de-humanizing and isolating. These speakers have told us countless stories about how Skype, blogging, tweeting, etc. can actually bring us closer, both with our neighbours and with the global community.
One story was about how an 80 year old grandmother, who immigrated from Greece decades ago but had never learned English, began to use email to write to her son, coached by her grandchild, practicing her English and learning to use an iPad all at the same time.
Another story was about a class of grade 5 students in Alberta, connecting via Skype with a class in New Jersey, just after Hurricane Sandy. They were teaching each other about all kinds of things like extreme weather, emergency preparedness and response, even the difference between metric and Imperial measurement.
When I think back over the past five years at Squamish Elementary, I am struck by how we have evolved in our thinking about technology, including cel phones. We used to see devices as a threat to teaching and learning. We had students hide away their phones and feared the worst. Now we are not so wary, more trusting. Sure, some misuse may still happen, but now we are trying to take advantage of these powerful devices: all of human knowledge in the palms of our hands.
Now we have the task of coaching children in digital citizenship, in critical thinking, so that they can navigate the internet with the ability to question and analyze what they read and see, and use technology with personal integrity. School should be like a basecamp: the place where you prepare for great adventures, where you come back for coaching, where you are safe and nurtured, but also fully equipped with the tools for success.
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